Depth Perception
by WanderingDark
Summary: How can one be blind and still be a shinobi? Rosse...wasn't really sure. Of course, she had plenty of ideas, being the genius that she was in her last life, so she'd make it work somehow. She'd make everything work somehow, especially since she remembered...this war was never supposed to be so vile. (OC insert) (OOC) (Plot Destruction)
1. Hello Darkness, We've Never Been Friends

A/N: Yo, guys! My name is Ej!

So this is a story that won't be for everyone, I know. But, I wanted to write it and if at any point, you feel like it's not for you anymore or you lose interest, that's perfectly fine. Thank you for stopping by anyway. :)

Fair warning, the first act is entirely composed of disgusting amounts of fluff and some drama, so I guess you can say it's kind of slow going, but things get a lot more exciting when the plot picks up.

 _Rosse_ : pronounced as _Rosie_.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but I own Yuupika, so I think maybe Kishimoto drew the short lot in the end.

* * *

ACT I

It was akin to drifting – like when she sucked in a huge breath and floated atop the waves of the ocean on the beach. It wasn't warm, per say, but it certainly wasn't cold and she felt as though she could stay there forever. Time, to her, was not passing, and yet passing all at once, like she had been squeezed into an infinite moment that floated down the thread of this universe and the next. She was in between, blissfully. Blissfully. When was the last time she felt blissful? Just like this, it was the same feeling… Perhaps getting lost in a manga, being enraptured by the moving pictures of an anime, the same one in fact, that she had grown up with as a child and watched all the way into her adolescence and adulthood. Through college, reading fanfictions, exploring the back story and all the possibility, familiarizing herself with all political aspects, the map as a whole, the timeline, the plot holes, the jutsu, the theoreticals, the feelings of each shinobi, the characters themselves, yes –

Naruto.

Joy.

She associated the two together perfectly, like she had done all her life. It was the same with music, with her voice, with her passion, with her family, and with her own heart. Joy, joy, joy! Bliss.

Blissful.

She wanted to reread some of her favorite scenes right now, in fact. This peaceful place was nice, but she wanted to leave now. Maybe it was a dream? She should pinch herself. If she could look down. Her head felt like air, like it wasn't there. Where was her head? Funny. What a strange dream. It was dark, she then realized – very, very dark. Maybe she would bring up her hand and see how long it would take her to adjust? Her hand… where was her hand? Where… where was she? Where was her body?!

Then suddenly, the darkness around her contracted, and it felt like it was strangling her for just a few fearful moments before it relaxed and she was floating aimlessly once again. Wait.

Floating?

Since when? Was she not drifting about of her own accord, blissful in her dream? Ah yes, her dream. What a strange thing, indeed. Odd. Queer. What was she thinking about again?

The darkness contracted a second time, seeming all encompassing again, this time for longer. Then there was relief. She breathed a sigh – or at least she though she did? Could she breathe? It was starting to feel startlingly wet, almost slimy, like she was covered in something, like it was encasing her, warmly now, she suddenly realized again. Warm, slimy, enclosed.

And then, the walls were squeezing her, squeezing the life out of her, she felt something brushing her back, like a tiny tube and she felt like _she could not breathe_ , and she had to get out, get away desperately. And in that moment, as if her pleas were being answered, she was slipping down and away – _out_ she almost felt like, and it ended up being true not a second later as the sting of cold air hit her, which she immediately breathed in.

 _It stung._ She felt salty tears well up, as the sensation of a thousand pinpricks assaulted her lungs, every time she breathed, added by the pain of something in the vicinity of her stomach being cut, and felt them mix with the slime as they cascaded down her cheeks. Her mouth – _oh god, she had one –_ was slick and felt tired so she decided not to open it in fear of the same sensation hurting her there. What was happening? Was she captured by foreign intelligence and being tortured for what lie in her mind? She had quite a budding reputation as a scholar, a scientist, and inventor. She was going to make the world so much more efficient.

"…silent baby, then? Her vitals are all normal. How unusual." An unfamiliar voice struck her ears and she listened intently to it, becoming serious. _Silent baby? What does that mean…?_ She kept her mouth clamped shut, evermore curious, but not willing to compromise herself. It seemed she was asleep before this – perhaps staying silent and pretending to be slumbering still would prompt her captors to speak more and possibly reveal vital information. Her body was jelly. Boneless, almost, she took careful note, and she could not even shift in the slightest. Perhaps they had drugged her and broken all her bones to ensure she could not escape when she woke up. That would be troublesome.

 _Che._

A quick flash of a lazy ninja flitted through her mind, reminding her of a happy place she could always recede to if they did decide to torture her more, and she swiftly locked the thought away for usage later, focusing back on the present.

"My baby is silent…?" A tense pause. "Will you please check her for any mental…oddities, sensei?" This was a soft, feminine tone, very tired, it seemed.

"No need to worry, Yui-san. We will take good and swift care of your child."

And then, suddenly, she was acutely aware of hands all around her form, and what she guessed was a towel being draped over her now shivering body – _because fuck, it was cold –_ and in the darkness, as she not dare open her eyes, she realized that she was being carried away somewhere. But oh, those hands… they were so big, so rubbery, as though this person was wearing gloves, and it felt like they were almost as big as her. _How odd… how utterly odd… something is not right, what… what is going on here?!_

"Alright, Tanei, would you please examine this child in the next room?" That first voice again. Was it male? It certainly sounded so, and by the way the female was addressing him… _sensei_ … wasn't that only a Japanese custom, to refer to doctors as such?

 _Ah._

It hadn't even struck her until that moment that her captors were speaking Japanese. She had studied and learned it when she was in high school, it was her second language, came so utterly natural to her from watching so many anime all the time that she hadn't even noticed… how foolish was she? This was a vital piece of information in and of itself.

Her mysteriously tiny body was gifted to slightly smaller hands and then she felt the brisk air stinging her face once again as the one carrying her walked away. She noted the distinct ' _clack'_ on the floor that accompanied the steps from heels, meaning her new captor was female also. The next few minutes went by in a breeze, the new lady cooing soothingly over her as she performed various tests. They all felt… disturbing to say the least, like something was invading her body over and over again, but there were no hands on her nor was there liquid being forced through her entranceways. And then the lady shifted her attentions to her head and gasped. _…eh?_

"Sensei!" The nurse called frantically. She started to go into a state of alarm at the sound of her upset voice. _What's going on? What's wrong? Is it me? Is there an intruder?_ In an effort to try and defend herself, she pried open her eyes.

Or at least, tried. Because everything was still black. So, wiggling her mostly numb fingers to attempt to make a fist, she tried again.

Still. Darkness. All around her, even as she registered little daggers of air on her sensitive eyeballs. A feeling of dread overtook her and her breathing started to pick up. _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god-_

"What is it?" The doctor's voice came suddenly, accompanied by the sound of a door slamming against a wall.

"Her eyes! She's…"

"Blind." The man finished grimly after another brief, more heated invasion. "I… see."

"Can we operate…?" The nurse tentatively, hopefully asked.

The silence was deafening as the man probed her brain persistently. "I…no. Only a medic of Tsunade-sama's caliber could even _think_ about attempting such a thing. Although, I've never seen a case in which such a growth occurred in the womb, the fact remains that it has occurred." She was gingerly picked up once more, and the walk back to the room was deathly silent.

 _I'm… blind?_ She felt completely numb once more, not processing any of the other information she had received.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid we have bad news." The lady's breath hitched. "Your child has Optic Nerve Glioma. It is a cancer in which the tumor puts pressure against the optic nerve. While it does not seem to have harmed any of her brain cells, she did come out fully blind. We… do not have the necessary skill to operate. She will never be able to see." He explained with a clinical voice. The nurse next to him broke down in tears right after a choked sob resounded from the other side of the room.

"My little Yuupika is blind?" That gentle question, laced with audible anguish from her supposed 'mother' made her break down in her own fit of tears. Somewhere along, she was placed into clammy arms and cracked lips were placed repeatedly upon her brow, whispering sweet assurances as liquid splashed in fat drops on the top of her head.

 _I'm blind!_

* * *

Two years passed and she was meditating in her little corner in the main room of the orphanage, tuning out the chatter of all the other toddlers and adults. By now, she had figured out that she was in the Naruto universe, which puzzled and amazed her to no end, because she didn't understand how she could be here without dying in her original world. So how did she die? And why didn't she remember it?

More than that, she had discerned that she was in the land of Rain. A very precarious place to be, to say the least, with the war that had just ended the economy was extremely poor. No one had money, no one had food; it was wet and cold all the time – hostile. Her mother had lost her life to this place, by ninja. Funny, she thought that was, because it happened similarly to how Nagato had lost his parents. Although, Konoha nin didn't just barge in unexpectedly and start slashing bitches up, her mother _was_ cut down in front of her. She had accepted infiltrating Iwa nin into their humble home to feed them for a night and then shoo them on their way, but apparently, they had no intention to let anyone live even if they were friendly. So, while her mother slept, with Yuupika in her frail arms, one of the ninja slit her throat. It was her blindness that saved her. At the tender age of 1 year and 3 months, as soon as she had heard the slick whine of steel, a wet gargle and felt warm liquid run down from the crown of her head to her toes, she panicked and opened her eyes reflexively. All stilled in that moment and both Iwa shinobi had sheathed their weapons. They had seen the unusual color, saw the way she looked back and forth, seemingly oblivious of them, and quietly left.

Yuupika did not mourn that woman's death. It was sad, for sure, but that was not her real mother and it taught her a valuable lesson – her first one since she had been 'reborn'.

She thought a lot about her old life.

Yuupika sighed, trying to empty her mind once more to properly meditate. In her own world, where the room was no more and everything was dark, it was comfortingly quiet. She had activated her chakra at some 1 year and 6 months, and it was barely there, but bustling with life, and she was able to maintain three pebbles on different parts of her body at one time now. Since she could not see properly, she had devised, with her knowledge of the series, that through the use of nature energy, she would be able to make a map in her mind that would allow her to walk to and fro without stumbling or help. In time, she could learn to fight like that, with just her senses and the energy of nature. So, for the past 6 months, she had spent the time she had doing chakra control exercises and meditating. The teachers thought she was a good child, not bothering anyone and being quiet to save their sanity, and the kids thought she was weird. They all liked her voice though. When she sang, the delight was made clear to her, even if she could not see it. It was something that carried over, she supposed, as well as her collective knowledge and awareness.

Sometimes her mind would wander and harry over what she looked like. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, was her face pleasing? Did she look the same?

Then she reminded herself it did not matter. She had goals far beyond this place.

So, when the perfect opportunity came, she took it.

"Ah! My Lady Angel, please come in." One of the elders ushered in someone that she knew well, just by that title. _Konan._ The woman often liked to check up on various orphanages, her weakness for kids like herself overcoming her. It was her time to impress, she realized immediately.

"How is everything here?" She asked softly, but firmly. The elder was quick to recite the state of the orphanage and its inhabitants, the rest of the room going quiet as the younger caretakers began gathering up and putting the children to sleep in their rooms. When it was mostly clear, Yuupika got up on her own two legs, and made her way over to the blue haired woman from her corner, tugging on her long coat. In moments, two hands scooped her up and long fingers carded through her lengthy hair. Yuupika raised her own to gently feel over the woman's relaxed face and slowly opened her eyes.

"What is wrong with this child?" Came Konan's immediate question.

"I'm blind." She answered quickly, surprising the Angel. "Optic Nerve Glioma." The elder, sounding flustered and sad, asked how she knew such a thing. She was not an unkind lady, Yuupika decided, if she felt apologetic over not telling her.

"The file in your office is in braille – are you going blind too?"

"You are able to read braille?" Konan asked, her monotone managing to sound somewhat surprised. Yuupika nodded. That afternoon, Konan walked around with her all over the village, never letting her down from her perch in the Angel's arms as they visited other orphanages. It was nice to get out, feel the rain in her palms when she stuck her hands out of her coat and talk quietly with the other woman. The lady admitted that she was extremely surprised, yet again, that Yuupika's vocabulary was so expansive (of course the girl was careful not to sound too astute), which made her smile and caress her smooth cheek. When it was supper time, Konan returned her and said that she would come back to spend more time with her when she was done with her duties. Yuupika – formerly Rosse – found it somewhat odd that she could speak and feel so relaxed around one of the worst criminals in the series. Remembering all the things that she had done had forced Yuupika to also remember that she was not necessarily that person yet. After all, never in the manga or anime was there any mention that she frequented orphanages. She decided to give the woman a chance.

The next few visits were filled with more intelligent talks and walking, Konan had let her feel the air whizzing past her face in flight just once, and Yuupika was absolutely delighted. And then, when the chance came again in the form a Konan dropping a gold coin on the floor, the younger girl hopped out of her arms and snatched it up, using chakra to stick it to her forehead.

"Look what I can do!" She smiled up at where the blue-haired Angel was most likely standing and felt the air still, then stir and change.

"Oh…"

And at 2 years and 1 month, she was taken to the Akatsuki base.

"Konan, why have you brought a child here?" Yuupika recognized that as Pain's voice and the grunt in the background that sounded of two at once was Zetsu. Where was Obito?

"Watch." Konan put the toddler down, and handed her another gold coin. "Show them what you showed me." Yuupika nodded, and stuck the first one to her forehead and the second one to her chest and the room was silent once again. "She's two years old, lives in an orphanage with no exposure to chakra."

"A child genius." Shiro Zetsu affirmed, sounding bewildered.

"What does this have to do with Akatsuki?" Pain did seem a bit surprised, but otherwise skeptical.

"We could raise her to-," Two hands clapped over her ears and the rest of the sentence was too muffled for her to hear. The conversation between the two that ensued was inaudible to her, even with her heightened senses. However, Yuupika knew that Konan was bargaining to culture her natural talent for the organization. It was not an idea that she was opposed to, being trained by S-class fighters. Yuupika considered herself lucky in that moment, for being born so close to such resources and the opportunity that she was presented with. Fate had smiled down upon her.

And then another set of gloved hands were picking her up, cradling her close to someone's ribs – _this is a male_ – and she was spirited away, down a few hallways and finally into a room, she deduced after hearing the door shut. Yuupika straightened her back, and her tiny hands reached up, feeling a cool ceramic under her fingers, with ridges in the shape of swirls. _Ah. Obito._ He seemed to settle down in a bed with her on his chest, playing idly with her locks and humming to himself.

"So you are a child genius?" He asked, in such a ginger voice that Rosse was taken aback for a moment.

"Aa," She agreed, hands still studying the mask over his face.

"The blind, little genius named Yuupika." He said, cradling the back of her head.

"Aa," She agreed once again, stubby fingers reaching under the mask and pushing it up. He let her, strangely, and she mapped out his features, pouring over the scarred skin on the left side, caressing his closed eyes and the fine hair of his eyebrows. "You're pretty." She told him and he chuckled.

"Pretty is not something you call a man," He corrected lightly. "I am rather ugly." Yuupika opened her eyes, even though she could not see and smiled at him.

"Your scars make you very pretty." He stilled beneath her and Yuupika relented, resting her head on his shoulder, lips brushing against his collarbone. _Hook, line and sinker, bitch._ "And what about your name?"

"Madara. Madara Uchiha," He murmured after a moment, twining his fingers in her hair once again. "You shall be my apprentice."

"What will I learn?" She inquired and he hummed in consideration, a vibration that tickled the inside of her cheeks. _Why is this Obito much different? Perhaps it is because I am a child? He never showed any love to children before…_ Rosse recalled the night of the Kyuubi attack, how he pointed a kunai at the jugular of a child with no hesitation. _But that was under much different circumstances…_

"Everything I know, short of my sharingan techniques." He replied.

"What is the sharingan?" She asked innocently, nuzzling into him.

"One of the most powerful tools in the world," He picked her up with two hands underneath her arms and dangled her in the air above him, like one would a baby. She giggled like one, playing the part and reaching down towards his face, fingertips playing along his thick eyelashes. He brought her back down and she cupped his cheeks, touched his nose with her own and felt his breath on the underside of her jaw. "Prove your worth to me." He set her down on his lap and pressed a smooth stone to her forehead. "Hold this there for an hour." Yuupika hesitated for a fraction of a second, but began to channel her chakra.

And so the hour passed long and excruciating, she was sweating, feeling his gaze on her, as her tiny reserves dwindled and dwindled. After an eternity, he removed the stone from her and patted her sticky hair.

"You have potential. But what about those eyes? Those tumors need to be removed if you hope to achieve your fullest potential. Getting a hold of Tsunade will be a pain." He sighed and she heard a rustle of fabric in front of her. He mumbled incoherently, something about Konan, and lifted her once more, holding her body a small distance from his. They walked, and a door closed, then water was running. She was stripped down, wiped with a wet towel and then placed inside a basin of warm, bubbly water. Callous flesh graced her skin, scrubbing.

"I'll find a way to see just fine." She assured as she lifted her arms so he could reach the places underneath them.

"You sound so sure," His tone was slightly skeptical.

"Aa. I already have something in mind."

He hummed once again and continued in his task, and Yuupika's toddler body grew tired with his gentleness. She was asleep before her bath was finished and when she awoke again, he was gone, and she was lying in his bed, outfitted in a shirt that swamped her. It smelled of pine and generic soap.

 _How long have I slept? Is this his?_

Yuupika eased into her meditative positon, clearing her mind for the time being. She breathed in a rhythm, in 6 and out 3, like she used to do back in her office late at night when she was stressing over a project. It seemed so long ago now since she had invested herself in quantum energy, the mysteries of travel in sound waves, making recyclable energy, revolutionizing touch screen into free touch technology, oh all the ideas she had… it was surreal. All her experience, her degrees, the days spent pouring over her tedious work, her head so full of possibilities, it was absolutely bursting! Rosse wanted to continue that. She wanted to recreate all the culture and technology that she had put her former life into.

A bitter tremble rolled down her spine. She was ripped away from everything she had dreamed of, her eyes taken in flight somewhere down the line she tripped over to tear from her all the things she had envisioned. Her old life, her friends…her family? No, they had not been on the best of terms, her parents were dead and she had no siblings, but she had so much to achieve yet, to strive for and accomplish. It wasn't…fair, it just wasn't…

And then, she mentally slapped herself, imagining a road roller flattening all her thoughts into dust. She didn't have time to mourn if she wanted to get everything she needed done. There were so many things to change, based on the tenderness of the skin on Obito's face, she would say that he was still young, even if his biceps were well developed to deceive her. He was certainly…interesting, to say the least. Not what she had expected. Was this a slightly different timeline? Because her existence here had jostled something? She knew she wasn't supposed to be here but…

No, she wasn't that important, she decided. Maybe these were just where the holes in Obito's character filled in, because Kishimoto had definitely not covered everything.

Yuupika settled back down and reached out to the area around her, feeling for the nature energy. There went another hour, quietly and peacefully, with no disruptions until Yuupika decided that it was time for her to put something in her stomach. She crawled and slid off the bed, just recently used to her stubby legs and made her way towards the door. She would have to start training soon, she thought, she could feel her muscles just about sturdy enough. Yuupika wanted to start at the earliest possible age. A plan about her time here was already coming into mind as she felt along the walls for an archway. Another set of hands – smaller this time – picked her up suddenly. She yelped, trying to wiggle out of it.

"It's okay, Yuu-chan!" Konan exclaimed, humor in her voice. Yuupika relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief. What if that was Zetsu or Pain? She resisted a shiver. "I'm your legal guardian from now on," there was a gentle tweak of her nose and a chuckle at her surprise. "You should call me Kaa-san when we start gaining more members. I don't expect you to call me that when we're alone, but…" Vulnerability, a little hesitation seeped into her tone. "I mean, you can, if you want, I'll really be your Kaa-san…"

 _Is this lady for real? Giving me a chance to cement emotional bonds already… oh my god, if I emotionally compromise this whole base I could stop a war…_

Yuu paled, bit her lip and opened her mouth a few times to test out her tongue before speaking. "K-Kaa-san?" She said it like more of a question, tentatively, with her fingers twiddling and hair framing her face. She learned this one to manipulate her last boyfriend into getting her ice cream when she dieted.

"Oh!" And then she was pressed against an ample bosom, and Konan was squeezing her. "Kawaii…" _Damn, I'm good._ "So we have a new member, honey. Let's go meet him." _Wait what._

Rosse blanched, fists clenching the robe of the woman as she prattled off questions and gave her information that she already knew, but her mind was elsewhere. _Who joined Akatsuki this early?!_ A few more steps and they took a right, entering somewhere in which the air felt freer. _A larger room perhaps?_

"Yuu-chan, this is Kakuzu. Kakuzu, this is my daughter."

 _Oh great. Just great. The coldest bastard in the base._

"You have a brat?" He questioned, unimpressed. A warm tendril – _must be those tentacles_ – brushed her arm and cheek and Yuu forced out a giggle, squirming a bit. _Guess I better start now._ She reached her arms out towards the thing and when it wandered back into her grasp, she held it to her chest. Yuupika keened in mock glee, rubbing her face to it ( _this is so fucking gross_ ). She could sense a dull aggravation opposite to her and the rumble of two contained laughs, both deeper than Konan's. Yuupika figured it was Zetsu.

Konan shifted her form in her arms and held her out in the air, her legs dangling. "Yuu-chan is unfortunately blind. Please let her feel your face for identification." Kakuzu sighed, grumbling irately as his tentacles wrapped around her body and drew her close to his heat. Rosse reached up until she found his face, covered by rough cloth under her fingers that she slipped her hands under and mapped him out slowly – his jaw was set, eyes closed, and his teeth ground slowly – perhaps he was annoyed?

"You're very handsome!" He froze and Yuu had to hold back a smirk. "Will you be my Tou-san?" He sputtered a moment after, angrily, and thrust her quickly back into Konan's arms. There was a swish of a cloak and the air moved her locks and then she had the feeling that he was gone. Konan burst out laughing – it was light and so very musical, that she pressed her lips together to hum along with it.

"Yuu-chan, you scared away our first member! What do you have to say for yourself?" She teased and Rosse relaxed into those arms just a bit more.

"He's easy to rile."

Zetsu grunted in agreement in the corner somewhere.


	2. Chummy With You, Kakuzu!

A/N: Yo!

Back for another chapter, I see. Hope you've been enjoying yourself thus far.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but can I own his ass, Kishimoto? Please? And Kakashi's too? Get back to me.

I also don't own _Washing Dishes_ by Jack Johnson (lol, the irony) or _Someday_ by Sugar Ray. They're both chill songs though.

* * *

The next time Yuupika encountered Kakuzu, he was scourging the cabinets in the kitchen. It was some few months later, and she supposed he was busy with his accounting and a few missions, as he sounded to be moving in quite a hurry. No one had a signature quite like his – somewhere between buzzing life with a slow undercurrent of black death. If she were to give it a color, it would probably be brown. Soon, she suspected, she would be able to affirm that. She had begun to tap into nature. It was short, brief, and generally overwhelming, but in those moments, she could almost see. The world was a blur of chakra, but it was a beginning.

"Kakuzu-san?" She asked into the open air, and the sounds stilled for a few seconds.

"Oh. The brat." He addressed her, and Yuu had to force down irritation. "What do you want."

"A lot of stuff." She considered. "But firstly, what are you doing?" The stitched man sighed in barely hampered annoyance.

"Searching for something edible." He answered, another cabinet door slamming.

She chuckled sagely and he growled at her, but Yuupika was hardly threatened. "It doesn't work like that. You can't just grab something and go, you've actually gotta cook."

Footsteps came closer to her and then she was picked up by the scruff of Obito's shirt, feeling the warm air over her chubby legs. "Who cooks around here." He demanded to know and Yuu smiled in his general direction.

"Kaa-san, but she's not here right now. I know a few recipes." Yuupika replied (which was a total lie, she knew hundreds off the top of her head alone), giving him a wide grin, and reached out towards him. Her hands found purchase on his mask and her fists clenched it tightly. A few moments were spent with him trying to pull her off, but toddlers have the strength of sages, and he promptly gave up, snarling at her giggling and kicking. Stubby toes latched onto his shirt just below the collar and Yuupika stuck her tongue out at him.

"I can make you something, but you'll have to help me." She teased, feeling impish. He growled once again, but relented, still carrying her by the scruff as he took them back towards the cooking area. Then she was dropped down on a counter, and her expression formed a pout at the minimal pain in her bottom. "Meanie…" She grumbled, but he ignored the comment in favor of grunting impatiently.

"Okay, okay… so first you need…"

* * *

An hour later, they sat, eating chicken soup (her Puerto Rican grandmother's recipe) in silence. The clang of a spoon being put down the rustle of a handkerchief made her look up in his direction. He sighed leisurely.

"Pretty good, brat." He muttered grudgingly. His tone held no real malice though and she beamed at him.

"Thanks, 'Kuzu-chan."

The miser seemed to bristle at that, and then stood abruptly. "Don't get chummy with me, brat." He warned, his chair clattering to the floor. Yuupika laughed and waved him off, dipping her spoon in her soup and feeling around for another piece of chicken.

"You'll get chummy with me soon." She teased, and his presence disappeared. There was stale silence.

And then he stalked back in to place his dish in the sink. Yuu grinned.

* * *

Another month had them meeting nearly every day for dinner and washing the dishes together afterwards (since he hated messes) – well, he washed, she dried and put them back in the cabinets. They didn't speak all that terribly often, though she heard more words from him than she ever had in the anime, and they were getting along amicably. He knew one recipe by his five hearts now, just one, and it was the chicken soup they had shared a month ago. He learned fast, she discovered, and even though he didn't like to, he took direction well and silently acknowledged her as the better cook. Obviously, he thought cooking was rather pointless, and he said so many times, but his pride would not let him be beaten by a 2 years old turning 3 in four months.

"Let's make a new dish today!" Yuupika exclaimed, poking his arm as picked her up by the scruff of her shirt again and sat her down on the counter near the stove. He sighed in exasperation.

"How many recipes do you know?" He questioned. Yuu scratched her cheek thoughtfully.

"Hmm…a lot more than you."

He growled and flicked her on the tip of her nose, sending a tiny shock of pain through her face. She howled, her hands immediately coming up to nurse the wound and she glared lightly. It was more for his ego than anything, to let him know that he was still superior in some ways, but she enjoyed pretending either way. He seemed satisfied with this and mussed up her hair.

"So what is it we're making today?" He asked haughtily and Yuupika's cute pout became a smile again.

"Empanadas!"

"Empanadas…?" He repeated, his Japanese tongue struggling with the pronunciation of the word. Yuu nodded, feeling a bit of pride for still being able to use the Spanish accent her grandmother had spoken with.

"Yeah, I made this one up, it's really good."

"When did you get the time…?"

"It doesn't matter!" She reached to bat his over-muscular arm and crossed hers in front of her chest. "Now, get the deep fryer we bought last week." She commanded, lifting her chin to fake looking down her nose at him, even though she was probably just glaring at his stomach or something. He got the meaning though and flicked her nose again.

"Itai! Itai!" She rubbed her sore sniffer and pouted. "'Kuzu-chaaannnn, you're so meaannn." Yuupika whined and he snickered.

"Brat." He said lightly and there was a clang next to her. "So what do I do with this thing?"

Visions of burn scars on her arms from flying grease flashed behind her eyelids and Yuupika cackled menacingly, seeing a quick revenge on its way.

"Brat…?"

The toddler beamed sweetly at him and within the hour, he was scowling and dodging the searing liquid bubbling up from the fryer as if he was in battle as he dipped in batch after batch until they were all golden brown perfection. At some point, the whoosh of air from his quick reflexes stopped and Yuu figured that he had realized that he could activate his special brand of jutsu to combat the deep fryer's vengeance. _Fun while it lasted._

They sat at the table happily afterwards though, and he ate like he hadn't eaten in years, almost angrily gobbling up most of their efforts. But that was fine, as Yuu didn't need to eat a lot. She was still a toddler anyways.

He also decided to throw the deep fryer out the window. There was a crash down below, a scream, and Yuu scratched the back of her head.

"I suppose now's the time to tell you that empanadas can be made in the oven?"

Kakuzu made her clean the whole kitchen that day.

* * *

A couple of months later, Kakuzu was able to whip up a 3 course meal efficiently. It consisted of empanadas as an appetizer, chicken soup as the main entrée, and churros with melted chocolate as a most delicious dessert.

Yuupika sighed contentedly as she rubbed her belly with one hand, slouching in her chair and pushing away her plate with the other.

"Well?" Kakuzu's voice demanded from beside her at the table. He was a lot more vocal these days. She smiled in his direction and nodded. It was kind of funny to think that he actively sought recognition from a toddler.

"That was very good. You've finally perfected crisping the churros. I give you a 10/10 for mastery of this meal." She told him, making her pleasure clear. He grunted in pride, and she could just imagine him with his eyes closed, arms crossed over his broad chest as he smirked arrogantly. He didn't wear his mask a lot anymore, nor his hood in the base and Yuupika was ecstatic to think that she was slowly gaining his trust and a bit of his friendship. "Did you ever think four months ago that you'd be a chef in training?" She asked quietly and he sucked in a slow breath.

"No," He responded honestly into the silence of the kitchen and gently mussed up her hair. She leaned into his touch and he paused, but didn't pull his hand away. They sat like that, next to each other for a little while until he picked her up by the scruff of her shirt ( _like always_ ) and gathered up the plates they ate on to wash in the sink.

Next morning, while Konan gave Yuu her daily bath in the tub, she sang.

" _In the morning, when the world came awake_

 _Before you knew me, I knew your name_

 _It was painted across the day as it breaks_

 _An impression in your window frame…"_

"That's a lovely song, honey, how do you know it?" The woman asked as she tickled her sides with the tips of her fingers. Yuu giggled in glee and wiggled around.

"K-Kaa-san, stoooopppp!" She pleaded and Konan laughed airily, abiding by her wishes. "I made it up myself, you know!"

"Ho?" Pain's deep voice was laced with amusement as he pushed the door open and strode close. The rustle of fabrics in front of her and a cold hand twining through her soaked locks let her know that he had bent down. "Quite the imagination you have, Yuu-chan."

"Aa." She agreed. "I make a lot of songs."

"Do you now?" Konan questioned, sounding a bit interested now.

"Mhmm. Kaa-san, can I have a journal for my birthday?" She asked innocently, looking up from behind wet lashes at the couple and sticking out her bottom lip, clasping her hands together. _Puppy Eyes no Jutsu!_

Konan's breath caught in her throat, she heard it clearly, and she scooped Yuupika's wet, soapy body up into her lean arms and squeezed her. "Of course, baby!" She exclaimed, her normally deep tone rising a few pitches with what Yuu guessed was maternal instinct. Pain sighed beside her.

"Konan…" He began, but the blue haired cut him off.

"It's her birthday, Nagato." She stated sharply and he shut up like he had never spoken in the first place.

The toddler snickered quietly into ample breasts.

* * *

During dinner that night, as they were making rice and corned beef, she started singing again.

"Brat…what are you doing?" Kakuzu inquired in a stiff tenor.

"Singing," She answered simply as she loaded the potatoes into the mix. It was really too bad there was no such thing as plantains here… such a shame. "Do you hate it?" She asked him in earnest and he stilled in his stirring for few minutes. Yuu was subconsciously glad that the flame was on low while he was buried in his thoughts.

"No…" He murmured slowly, as if he was still unsure himself and began to mix the ingredients again. So she continued.

" _Just close your eyes and I'll take you there!_

 _This place is warm, without a care~_

 _We'll take a swim in the deep blue sea_

 _I go to leave, but you reach for me…_ "

Kakuzu placed the lid on the pan and rested against the counter next to her, just a little closer than normal, as she felt the barest brush from the stitches on his arm. He was listening, she devised with bliss welling up in her. Her lips kept moving and she knew he relaxed a bit more than usual when his arm was pressed against hers lightly by the time she was finishing the song.

" _Someday, when my life has passed me by,_

 _I'll lay around and wonder why you were always there for me_

 _One way, in the eyes of a passerby,_

 _I'll look around for another try_

 _And I'll fade away…"_

Yuupika enjoyed the silence that ensued and the fact that he didn't move, even though he must have known that he was making physical contact with her, which was highly unusual in itself. Only when the pan started to hiss hot steam out from the sides did he move, lifting the lid and stirring the red substance inside. The beep of the rice cooker went off next to Yuu and she left her languid position to mix the stuff and shortly afterwards they were eating. It was delicious, as she remembered the entrée would taste, and she praised Kakuzu for his help and promised to teach him to make it himself. The miser grunted in agreement and for the first time, he swept her off the chair and onto his hip (a little awkwardly, but Yuu was immediately joyed nonetheless) to wash and dry the dishes. She knew not to mention it, endeavoring to sing a bit more, and in reward, he did the same thing the next night and the next night and the night following that and they fell into a new rhythm. This one was more friendly, even if he didn't talk as much as Yuupika thought he should, even if the affection was brief as the wind, Yuu knew she was beginning to melt that icy heart.

Yes, it was a start.

* * *

"Brat, why do you sing so much?" He asked one day after they had chowed down, almost a couple months later.

Yuupika was a bit taken aback but she considered his question regardless. "Hmm…well, because I enjoy it. Do you hate it?"

Kakuzu sighed thoughtfully as his fingers squeaked along the glass plate he was scrubbing. "I suppose not." He mussed her hair with a soapy hand and she pouted. "It is not…unpleasant." His voice was quieter this time and Yuupika understood that it probably took a lot out of him just to admit that – he didn't like talking about things that required emotional input. That emotionally stunted miser. Yuu felt slightly for him, a sorrowful blossom in her bosom, and whatever life he had led so far to bring him to this state.

"Thanks, 'Kuzu-chan." The toddler tried to glaze over the mood with a jest. And it worked – he flicked her nose for the nickname, although it wasn't hard at all, and she whined about it afterwards, effectively changing the subject. He rolled with the new conversation, disregarding her supposed pain and complaining about the speed she was drying dishes, even though there was no pile next to her to speak of and she crossed her tiny arms, sticking her tongue out at him. He chuckled in that superior way, like he could care less about her actions and thrust another wet dish at her.

"Brat." His tone was filled with humor and something a bit warmer than normal and Yuu beamed with a silly giggle of her own. Two more forks and the water shut off, clueing her in that they were done and he grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt again, lowering her from the counter to the floor. He squatted to be a bit more level with her, his long hair caressing her cheeks and she looked up to where she thought his face would be, opening her normally closed eyes to make it seem like she was staring at him. The pad of his fingertip on one rough finger rested against the tip of her nose.

"Such a child." He commented in a gruff whisper and Yuu decided that she was quite okay with that grave sounding voice.

"You know…my birthday is in a week." She reminded him in a suggestive drawl, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Hmph. Is it now?"

"Mhmm!"

"Don't expect a present." He warned, a bit uncomfortably, but her lips still pulled back to reveal her baby teeth in a grin like he had told her he was definitely going to buy something. "Money shouldn't be wasted."

"Then, don't waste any." She shot back slyly. He grunted and the heat of his closeness and surprisingly soft hair left her. He was there for just a moment longer, as if to gaze at her one last time, and then his presence was gone and all she could hear was the patter of rain on the window.

* * *

Three days later, he handed her a small box after dinner. She just felt it for a few moments, the slick texture of the wrapping paper and the bow on the top right corner were new to her.

"Well, are you going to open it?" He sounded wildly impatient and tense. His leg was shaking up and down under the table, making the whole thing shake unsteadily. _He's nervous…? Ah…he's probably never given anyone a gift before._ Yuu gaped like a fish – and then tenderly started to peel back the wrapping, placing it on the table in strips as if those were the presents themselves. The box itself was velvety and smelled fresh like a lily, as if no one had touched it yet but her. A small smile graced her lips and she felt around the side, where a line spit two halves and hinges were attached to the back. _Jewelry, then?_

Slowly, Yuupika opened it and her fingers that were now thinning with age as her body grew, gently prodded the inside of the case, coming across a cool stone in the middle and a smooth cord that it hung off of.

"It's a necklace," Kakuzu suddenly spoke, his tone distressed. "It's blue topaz, you know, because you're always wearing blue and the cord is sterling silver – I was going to get you a book, but then I realized that, well, such a gesture would be stupid. And, um, it's a raindrop. Because you were born in Ame. That should be obvious, unless you're an idiot, which you just might be if you expected something more and-"

 _Oh my god, he's rambling… that is so… not Kakuzu._

"It's beautiful," Yuu declared airily, halting his prattle. "Will you help me put it on?"

The former Taki nin turned towards her and she showed him her back – a huge sign of trust – handing the box carefully over her shoulder so he could pluck the necklace out of it. Kakuzu slid it over her head – and even though the shaking in his leg had stopped, his warmer than usual fingers trembled a bit as they fluttered over her collarbone when he drew his hands back to tie the clasp and fix her lengthy hair around it so that it lay on top. Yuupika pivoted in her chair to face him again, knees brushing his bigger ones, and caressed the gemstone fondly. _He obviously put a lot of thought into this._ And then she beamed up at him.

"Thank you, Kakuzu."

His breath came out a bit unsteady, but he flicked the tip of her nose harmlessly anyways and grunted. She giggled at his reaction and leaned a bit into his chest when he gathered her up on his hip to wash dishes.

He didn't push her away.


	3. What Do YOU Know, Juzo?

A/N: Waaasssaaaapppppp. Enjoy, my peoples. ;)

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but that's not a forever thing...

* * *

It was the middle of the night and the sky rumbled with thunder so strong that it shook the window panes. There was a sick, foreboding feeling in her stomach when she woke up, the building shaking more than normal during a storm and a crash next to her. Yuupika drew her knees up to her chest protectively, bringing the blankets over her head. It was warm underneath the covers, even as there was another crash of something in the room as a result of a clap of thunder and Yuu felt fear for the first time in a long time. Her stomach churned and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as if her wishing would usher the storm away. There was a presence…it was strong, it was malicious and vengeful and Yuu could feel it like ice water tumbling over her body – but then again, it was warm here and she was safe.

The toddler tried to calm herself, settling into a meditative position and concentrating. She let her mind be at ease, let the aggressive beating of rain on the window fade into the background and then disappear completely. She was in another state of mind. Reaching deeper, deeper into the well of peace and emptiness…

And then she found it and the whole world burst into life with greens and blues, chakra fizzing and bursting, then aligning itself into distinct shapes that showed her the room in great, great detail – but it didn't stop there, her senses spread all over the base – she could see it in such perfect detail, even the microscopic spaces that were invisible to the human eye and through all of Ame. She saw orphans, the dirt crowding their pores, huddled in street corners underneath the banners of bars and saloons, the men inside, the particles of alcohol not fully dissolved into their drinks and to the outskirts of the country, to the trees beyond and the glistening drops of rain, the hydrogen and oxygen inside as it slid off the leaves and then to a village so huge in its entirety… _the village in the leaves!_ and it was burning. Burning with fire and women were screaming and their flesh was melting like acid had been poured over them, and all the way on the far side, there was a fox so tall and ominous, made of bright orange chakra and nine wild tails that seared her eyes as he turned and met her gaze with blood red orbs – spinning with three tomoes, all the way into her soul and she felt like her insides were being scorched so badly that she screamed for all she was worth, cutting off the connection with nature chakra she had unwittingly made and almost immediately hands were all over her and voices were calling her name. She could feel liquid, thick and slow leaking from her eyes before it was wiped away.

"Konoha," She croaked, clenching the cold hand on her arm with her tiny fingers, nails digging in to secure her grasp. "The Kyuubi!"

* * *

The next morning, she was cradled into a bare chest – male. It was warm, the skin on one side textured and rough, but arms were firm around her body and she felt safe. She sighed into the neck that was presented before her and held onto those muscles just a bit tighter.

"You're awake now, Yuupika?" Obito's deep voice was in her ear. She hummed to affirm it and took a few deep breaths. Then memories from last night came flooding back to her suddenly, and the feeling of security was stolen. Her body went rigid at the same time that Obito was shushing her and kissing her crown. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's over now, I'm here." He whispered to her and his soft lips against moving against her skin were therapeutic. She started to relax again, after a few minutes, and then she was jelly in his hold, feeling so very tired. "Good, good… now what happened last night?" His tone was tender and inquisitive, but not pushy and Yuu found herself inclined to answer it.

"The Kyuubi." She told him, her nose nuzzling the shoulder that was pressing into her cheek.

"Where?" Was the next question and Yuupika remembered all the soaked leaves and fertile ground, the wildlife and wind chilling the stormy air.

"Konoha." Her eyes opened at a glacial pace while the man in front of her was quiet and she wiggled a bit in his arms. He released her immediately and she sat up, into her same meditative position that she had assumed last night, the grogginess in her body gone with the way the cogs in her head were turning. She had accessed nature chakra, she was sure of it…but how? What did she do different?

Every other time she had tried to tap into that source, when she actively sought it out, all she saw were blurs and an overwhelming sensation that she was being filled to the brim. She couldn't maintain it for more than 30 seconds. There had been no progress for the longest time. So what was different? Her mind wandered back to Naruto's days at Mount Myoboku and the way he had trained. What had he done… what had he done? There was no way to get into his mind and find out, and it irked her. What was it that Pa said, what was the guidance, the advice, how had she done it herself? Yuupika grunted, using her near perfect recall to remember the exact events that happened last night and recreate them.

 _Okay, so I sat like this…_ Yuu adjusted her seating position to rest her hands on her knees palms down instead of up. _And I thought about… peace. Yes, peace. Finding a balance…a balance…_

 _Oh my god._

Yuu's eyes shot open, even though she couldn't see anything and she gasped. That…that was how! Her brand of nature chakra, since she didn't have the help of summonings was similar to the First Hokage's! And he was all about peace. Finding peace inside and out to share throughout the world. She found her deep inner peace and it connected her with the chakra that intertwined with the earth.

Obito's fingers touched her arm, but she slapped it away and settled into her position again, evening her breath. Then she reached down into herself, feeling the slow drawl of her heartbeat and the rush of her blood and the buzz of her chakra all fading, and in the pits of her stomach, she found it. And once again, the world burst into an array of chakra, so crystal clear and pristine that she felt a few tears bullet down her cheeks in happiness. She looked to the side, saw the beauty of Obito's face as he stared at her in awe and she glomped him with a hug, making him fall onto his back with her on top. His hands were slow to come up and pat her back, then wrap firmly around her and Yuu mapped out the whole base, empty of people besides the two on the bed. It was surreal, even though there were only greens and blue where her senses saw through to Obito's chakra system, it was her first time in this life seeing colors clearly and she was overjoyed. She propped herself up on his chest and looked into his eyes still wide with bewilderment.

"How do I look?" She asked, ecstatic. He stuttered a bit incoherently before answering.

"A-Ano…you have tattoos…on and under your eyes, over your cheekbones and a target on your forehead." He grimaced at the last part, but Yuu knew that it was representative of the third eye and she cried out in glee.

"What about my eyes? Hmmm?" She pushed him, noticing how long her hair was for the first time as it created a curtain around Obito's face, straight and thin, tickling the shells of his ears. He reached up, prodding one of her eyes with an unsure finger and watching as it opened again after his examination.

"Gold…" He swallowed and leaned up on his elbows, Yuu's arms snaking their way around his neck and their faces were so close that Yuu thought she might have blushed if she wasn't too filled with joy at the moment to care. He was taking every inch of her now and her new appearance, and the nature chakra in the air showed her the straining muscles in his back. It was then the she realized that yes – he was very young. Probably in his late teens. _Well, last night was the Kyuubi attack, so…_

 _Ah. That's right. The Kyuubi attack._ She sighed distantly, the elation wearing off. Naruto had been born and immediately had the Nine Tails placed in him. It was also her birthday… October 10th. This is when her story really started. From this point in life, there were no more games. She had to begin training, on top of emotionally compromising everyone here and somehow get in touch with the whole of the shinobi world. How could she make herself famous enough to be able to sway the masses? To hold a candle in the mind of Kage's? What would it take?

 _Ah~_

An idea hit her. She was not called a genius for nothing. No… she was exceedingly brilliant, a prodigy by all means, an innovator, paving the path of greatness for her race back in the other world. In this world? Well.

She would do the same. She would use her superior brain.

Yuupika, the child genius inventor – who changed the whole world.

Yeah, she liked the sound of that to put into history books.

* * *

It was dinner again and Kakuzu was staring at her like she was beamed down from a UFO with eyes in the place of her nostrils. She had tapped into nature again, and in response to the marks that spread on her face and the pupil-less gaze that now glowed golden, he had dropped the raw steak he was holding and gaped at her like she was a phenomenon.

"'Kuzu-chan, I can see you now!" She exclaimed, outstretching her arms from her perch on the counter and he got very close on habit, still unbelieving. She caressed the stitches on his cheeks and he shivered involuntarily, grasping her hands with his own larger ones gently to stop her as he continued to observe her change. The eyes she knew were crisp emerald were wide and he felt along the tattoos with increasing interest.

"You look very much like someone I used to know." He told her, refocusing after a moment. "Even the brown color is the same…" So her markings were brown? And her eyes were an amber?

"What color is my hair?" The question tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it and his expression softened.

"Black." He answered and she grinned.

"And what about my skin?"

"Pale. Are you related to Zetsu? He teased and she laughed, batting his bicep bathed in blue. He smirked and it looked menacing now she could actually see it – even if she couldn't really appreciate colors like the rest of the world, she could see in higher definition – but the crooked expression that twisted Kakuzu's face could not drive her way. He was very handsome besides that, with his strong jaw, deep set, almond-shaped eyes, plump lips, a nose that was not quite so narrow and a wide chin…

 _He's also very, very old. And you are very, very young._

Rosse relented, resisting the urge to sigh. Yes, he would have been her ideal type in her previous world, sans all the stitches. But it wasn't her previous world, was it? She deactivated her senjutsu and settled for ordering him to go buy a griddle for breakfast tomorrow. He quirked his eyebrow at that.

"A griddle? You want me to spend money on a griddle?" He sounded incredulous, scooping the wasted meat off the floor with a squelch and tossing into the crinkling trash bag as Yuu scowled.

"Tsk. You plan on learning dinner dishes only? You'll never be a master chef if you can only make one or two kinds of things." He audibly bristled at this, then swiped his cloak off the chair with a rustle, a swoosh in the air letting her know that he had left. She was tempted to look after him, but decided against it. Yuu didn't know how far she could push herself and last night had left her drained. In the bath this morning, she didn't even try to make conversation. Thankfully, Konan got the memo and let her relax in the tub, being gentle with her ministrations. At some point, it felt like Pain had come in to check if everything was alright, but his presence was gone soon after. Yuu was starting to notice her natural sensing ability now – even without the nature chakra and at a young age, she could actively sense the presences that were around her, even if she was tired. So she was a sensor. A support type. _Blah, how boring._

"So, you're the brat?" A new, light voice quizzed and Yuu idly wondered who the heck joined Akatsuki this early – _again._ "Che. Where's the other? I was told the other guy would be here too."

"Kakuzu went out to buy a griddle." Yuu smiled in his direction, whoever the stranger was, because his voice was not one she was familiar with. Then there was a slick whine, like metal grating on metal and even though Yuupika couldn't see she opened her eyes in confusion as her hair was blown back a bit. Her tiny hands reached out in front on her, feeling nothing for a moment before she tried to clap her hands together to bow in greeting and she felt a very large, cold blade.

"Oh, sugoi!" She hollered. "But, you do know that the effect of this intimidation is lost if I can't see it, right?"

"…eh?"

"I'm blind, newcomer. Did Kaa-san not tell you?" She raised a brow, already unimpressed.

"Kaa-san?" He parroted, obviously perplexed. _This is an S-Class shinobi?_

"Yeah, Konan." She clarified.

"You mean… the ginger's girlfriend?" He asked slowly. Yuupika rolled her eyes so hard behind her eyelids that it hurt. Oh. She had closed them again?

"Yes, Leader-sama's girlfriend." He seemed to consider this for a few moments, then the sound of his blade sliding back into the sheathe echoed in her ears.

"Damn, I'm so uniformed." He whined exasperatedly.

"Who are you anyway?" She took the chance to ask and his footsteps came closer.

"I'm Juzo!" He proclaimed, patting her head like she was a dog. "Formerly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist and wielder of the Executioner Blade! Who are you, kiddie?" Yuu growled at the nickname, attempting to swipe his hand away, but failing to his superior strength.

"I'm Yuupika. Daughter of Konan. Child genius. Master chef. A lot of things. Will you unhand me now, please?"

Juzo laughed at her and her brow twitched uncontrollably. _Even_ _Kakuzu_ _respects me. This guy is just dumb._ "You're cute, brat. Let's get along, yeah?"

"And you're rude. Why don't you treat me with some respect?"

"Well, you have yet to show me any, I don't see the need to reciprocate."

"I've been perfectly respectful!"

"You're snide. That's not respectful. You think I'm dumb, but I know a lot more than you. I can tell." He declared, shaking her head around by his grip on her hair. No, it wasn't rough, but it was derogatory and Yuupika felt affronted.

 _Che. If only he knew who I really was._ It was around this time that the toddler felt Kakuzu's presence on the stairs down the hall and she smirked up at Juzo, giving him the most mischievous look she could muster. She could sense his immediate confusion as she sucked in a huge breath and opened her mouth.

"HENTAI! STOP TOUCHING ME!"

There were two thuds right after that and upon activing her senjutsu, she saw a shopping bag on the floor near the entrance of the kitchen and Kakuzu's hardened body holding Juzo and his great-sword against the wall. The two members shared ugly snarls and a clash of glares as they struggled for dominance.

"Oi, what's the big idea?!" Juzo ground out, pushing Kakuzu just a bit more. His foot slid back just an inch, but it was enough to make the miser double his effort and flatten Juzo against the concrete, tying his threads around him to constrict his movement. The tendrils plucked the blade from the tangled mess and threw it to the side. It clanged against the opposite wall.

"Kakuzu-san, he kept touching me…" Yuu forced a blush and faced the ground, feigning shame and touching her necklace. The man lifted Juzo a bit and slammed him back against the wall hard enough to made a crack. The former Mist shinobi spit out a wad of blood and starting cursing at them both.

"Hmph. I'll kill him."

"What?! Who ever said anything about that?"

"No!" Yuu protested, using herculean effort to restrain her smirk. "It's okay, Kakuzu-san. I think he's learned his lesson." The masked man gave her a last once-over and then let the other shinobi slump to the grown. He braced his back against the wall, wiping offending substances from the corner of his mouth and muttering profanities anew. Kakuzu gathered up the shopping bag and dropped it on the stove next to her, a box peeking out of the opening.

"I'm not hungry." He grumbled, and promptly left the kitchen. Yuu sighed forlornly, wishing he'd come back and looked over to Akatsuki's newest member. He was staring at her oddly and for a moment, she was a bit unnerved until she remembered she was tapping into nature chakra.

"It's senjustu." She explained and his gaze widened a bit more.

"Senjustu?"

"Yeah. What about it?" She sighed, pulling the box out of the bag next to her, observing the bland designs displaying the griddle that was inside. It was wrapped in tape, and quite the strong type too, since Yuu couldn't pry it open. She considered the possibility that even though she was connected with nature chakra, she had not yet learned to mold and use it, so most of its benefits were lost to her. That seemed way too plausible. _Damn._ Juzo hopped to his feet and retrieved his sword in the meantime, coming to a stop in front of her to observe her struggle.

"You're not very strong, are you?" He asked and she frowned.

"I start training soon." She said, trying to pry it open once more. Her tiny fingers whitened with the effort it took when suddenly, Juzo lifted the Executioner's Blade and dragged the tip down the middle of the box. It broke and fell to either side, just like that, revealing the griddle wrapped in plastic and the paper instructions. Yuupika glanced at him, embarrassed.

"Thanks." She muttered and broke the plastic open to pull the thing out. It was long, about a foot and a half, she would guess and it felt smooth. _Non-stick? Must have been on sale._ Yuupika smiled at Kakuzu's thoughtfulness.

"Hmm." He hummed, still staring at her. "So are you adopted? You don't look like that other chick."

She rolled her eyes, coming up with an easy deterrent. "You don't know my father."

"And who is your father?"

"Why, it's Kakuzu-san, of course. Can't you tell?"

The tattooed man rolled back on his heels, licking his sharp teeth with a flick of his tongue. "I can see it, I guess." He stuffed his hands in his pocket like a little kid. "He is very protective of you." Yuupika chuckled and slid off the counter, plopping down to the floor.

"Yeah, he is. But Leader doesn't know! So shush!"

* * *

Yuupika's first time visiting the training room was a bit awkward – just a few minutes into warm ups, Juzo walked in wearing a measly pair of loose pants and his blade across his back. Yuupika cringed, though her adult mind distantly appreciated the view of washboard abs. She kind of did, but kind of didn't regret activating her senjutsu before coming in here.

"Do you know what clothes are?"

"You see me wearing some right now." He retorted, grabbing his sword and balancing it in one hand, his eyes glimmering with appreciation as he gazed at it.

Yuu snorted, lowering into another push up. "Barely." She could feel sweat starting to form on her brow. He spared her a disinterested look.

"What rep are you on?"

Her face flushed with something other than exertion and she uttered, "49." He burst out with howling laughter, holding a large hand to his ( _admittedly very nice)_ stomach and throwing his head back. The tattoo marks over the lower half of his face stretched oddly and she glowered at his reaction. Then after a minute, he settled and set down his sword against the far wall, getting to his hands and knees next to her. "What are you doing?" Yuu's tone was suspicious. _Is he gonna make fun of me again?_

"Warm ups," he answered, giving her a good natured smile as he stepped back with both feet and began his own push-ups. He was much faster than her, she noted with resentment, and he didn't start sweating even when she was soaked and stinky, already moving on to crunches. He looked over and flipped, copying her position.

"Crunches now, eh? Alright."

 _What the hell is up with this guy… is he trying to bond with me? Mocking me? Is he just bored?_

The only sounds were of her panting and of his deep breaths. At 75, she collapsed and he laid down with her, lounging with his hands behind his head.

"You know… I can't remember a time when I wasn't strong. I can't remember what it was like for me in my childhood, it feels like so long ago." He let out a mirthful noise. "I get stronger every day."

"Are you trying to brag?" Yuu questioned hotly, irritated.

"No. You'll get stronger too. Every day. I can help you." He offered and Yuu lolled her head to the side to stare at his profile, though her senjustu could already recall every detail in the room without use of her eyes. He shifted his attentions to meet hers.

"What's the catch?"

"Hmm…apologize for that incident you caused. And promise to do everything I say until I deem you worthy." He said, the challenge clear in his beady orbs. They were unnerving without eyebrows above to soften them. _Is this dude serious?_

"Deem me worthy? What's that supposed to mean?"

Juzo smirked, facing the ceiling once more as if he had just assured his victory. "You'll see. You've got all the potential in the world, but right now, you don't have it in you to become a great shinobi."

… _w-…what?_

The man next to her sprung to his feet suddenly, stretching and gathered up his blade. "Well, I'm tired. Meet me back here tomorrow if you're interested." He strode out, not stopping even when he called back down the hallway, "And you still haven't apologized!"

* * *

The next day, Yuupika was there, sitting in the middle of the floor waiting for Juzo. Her clothes were much better of a fit now, after she asked Obito for proper ones.

"Aw, you don't like wearing my clothes?" He had asked her. She had blushed and admonished him for his teasing.

Obito could be so silly sometimes.

Yuu saw Juzo before she heard him, with her senses spread out and touching the whole level. He was gallivanting down the stairs, his precious sword absent today, eating an apple that didn't feel quite ripe upon examination. When he neared, he paused for a moment and she felt his chakra brush her own, seeking her out, and then he strutted in with more confidence than before.

"Hello, Yuu-chaaan." He called in a sing-song voice. Yuupika rolled her eyes behind her eyelids. "Have you something to tell me?"

"…" She grumbled.

"Hm, what was that?"

"…sorry." She ground out a little louder this time.

Juzo cupped his ear with his hand, leaning in towards her. "One more time?"

"I'm sorry!" Yuupika yelled, making him cringe and recoil.

"Jeez, jeez, Yuu-chan, you're so violent." He scolded and she just glowered at him. "Well, well, let's get started then. On the ground! We're going to work out!"

* * *

And three months passed by, just like that. Every day, it was all kinds of stretches and exercises and ridiculous amounts of reps – at first, it left her so sore. She would lay on the ground when they were done, ears ringing, feeling every part of her body throbbing at once. She passed out a few times, she'd grudgingly admit if someone asked. And then, at some point, she just started to feel numb. She couldn't feel her muscles even when they shook with physical exertion to the point where she had trouble doing pull ups. Juzo was relentless still, urging her on with shouts and curses. He worked out right beside her though, and it made her feel better to see she wasn't the only one suffering _(even if it was really nothing for him_ ). He also really loved to talk.

"You know…" Juzo started one day during their squats. "Ame's cultural festival is on Saturday." Yuupika cocked her head to the side, thinking.

"What's today?" She asked in between pants.

"Friday."

"Hmm…are you saying we should go?"

Well, yeah!" He laughed. "I mean, if you want me to take you, that is. I'm not sure what it is that three year olds do these days, but I wouldn't wanna interrupt anything." The toddler had to consider that for a moment. She'd never been to a cultural festival. Not in this life, that is. Of course, when she toured her old world, she had been to many and among her favorites were those that occurred in the days spent with the tribes of Ethiopia, the east Indians and the Japanese. She got really damn high with the first two groups. _Ethiopians have some really good weed_. The Indians celebrating Diwali, well…she was pretty sure that there was LSD involved down the line somewhere. Japan's Aomori Nebuta Matsuri was just an innocently fun time. It was magical – she wished to go back someday. _But back to the matter at hand…_

"…you'll have to ask my Kaa-san if it's okay to take me." Yuu told him.

"Aren't you supposed to ask?"

"I'm a toddler. You do it."

He sighed and tousled her hair. "Fine, fine." A thought came to mind.

"Oi…can I invite Kakuzu?" Her tone was purely inquisitive and Juzo groaned.

"That old miser? Why?" He complained.

"Because he's my Tou-san." She stated simply as he huffed.

"Yeah, whatever." Yuupika grinned.

That evening, whilst Juzo sat at the table twiddling his thumbs, she extended the invitation. Kakuzu glanced at her skeptically.

"A festival in Ame?"

"Yeah," She affirmed. "It's called the Festival of Tears." The old man sighed as he stirred the tomato soup in front of him, a simple new dish she was teaching him.

"I'll think about it." He murmured, flicking her nose fondly.

* * *

The next day found them at the outer doors.

"-and make sure she's home by 8:30! I'll accept no excuses!" Konan bombarded the two nuke nin beside Yuu with the conditions of their escapade and the little girl just giggled as they stood there uncomfortably, stock still with Pain glaring daggers through their skulls behind the woman. She felt the material on her yukata fondly. Konan had told her it was blue, like the gem around her neck with a swirling design of white waves. And even though she couldn't see the colors, she adored it just the same. Her adoptive mother had washed her hair with Sakura shampoo and curled it for her just a few hours before, making the thin black locks look voluminous and lively. She felt like a princess.

"Hai." The two men on her sides chorused and then Kakuzu swept her up onto his hip, a thick, protective arm wrapped around her back to keep her close to him. He'd gotten a lot better at that, she noticed with a smile. They pulled out their umbrellas and walked out of the side of the base, the tallest tower in the city, heading on their way.

"Well, Yuu-chan, aren't you glad I invited you to such a stunning event? Bet you've never seen anything like it." He prodded with a hint of pride and Yuu could just imagine his haughty pose as he did.

"Shut up, idiot." Kakuzu snapped sharply. "You'll ruin the experience before it's even began."

"Oi, stitches, no one asked for your input!" The swordsman retorted and Kakuzu growled.

"What did you call me, you imbecile?"

"Stop!" Yuu scolded them both, pouting angrily. "You guys aren't kids." Both men grumbled in response. Yuu retrieved a white cloth from inside her yukata and tied it around her eyes, activating her senjutsu to see the surrounding area when they reached the town center. Like she thought, it was beautiful, especially as the rain made the lamps look ethereal – people were laughing and talking, celebrating and watching with glee as floats were pulled around the districts. They depicted a battle, as far as Yuupika could tell, and the mask on the villain's face was awfully familiar.

"Who is that?" She whispered in Kakuzu's ear and pointed, his soft hair brushing her temple.

"Hanzo." He answered, analyzing the construct as it came by. "This event is dedicated to the battle between Pain and Hanzo to free the people from suppression. I've read about it, but I didn't realize it was called the Festival of Tears. It's documented differently." Yuu nodded, taking in the information and compartmentalizing it, a natural reaction after years of study.

"So what, is Leader like a god around here?" Juzo scoffed, chewing Dango that he swiped from a stall down the street. Kakuzu nodded. "Che. How arrogant."

"He could break you in two without even touching you." Yuupika reminded him. Kakuzu chuckled, knowing it was true, but the tattooed nin just scoffed again. She sighed and gazed up into the night, seeing nothing but a sea of black through the umbrella. There was no chakra up there. Her mind wandered. _Where are you now? I kinda miss you._

 _Obito…_

"Oi, what'sa matter, Yuu-chan?" Juzo's voice filled her ears and she saw the worried look on his face. Kakuzu turned to asses her also.

"Nothing," She told them and gave the most reassuring smile that she could muster. Juzo tweaked her nose.

"C'mon, you can tell Juzo-nii, he's here for you." He grinned with those murderous teeth and people walking around the trio visibly recoiled as the miser quirked an eyebrow. Her lips upturned into something humorous and she shook her head.

"It's nothing, really."

Juzo sighed and shrugged, defeated. They spent the rest of the night frequenting different vendors, snacking, appreciating the displays, and the boys even had a small competition at one of the entertainment sights, tossing rings onto blunt spikes. _Well, it_ _was_ _kind of heated_ … Juzo won in the end by a trick shot, bouncing his ring off Kakuzu's to mess up the miser's throw and propel his to the farthest spike some 20 yards away. Kakuzu was furious, but accepted his defeat and Juzo gifted Yuu with a stuffed tanuki that was taller than she. It made her ecstatic.

They arrived at the base at 8:15, per Kakuzu's insistence and Konan was waiting for them at the side door. She was stolen from the former Taki nin's arms in an instant and squeezed.

"Oh, baby, how was it? Are you okay? Pain and I need you for something, quickly!" And then she was spirited away, feeling air sting her cheeks as she was flown up to the top of the tower. _M-My tanuki…!_ She wailed inwardly, sensing a confused Kakuzu holding her gift down below and looking up after them. Her perfectly curled hair and outfit was protected by her mother's cloak and as soon as they touched down, the white cloth from around her eyes was stripped from her. "Oh, you look beautiful, honey." Konan cupped her face with her lean, long hands and kissed her forehead lovingly. Yuupika, although confused, leaned into it. _What the hell's going on?_ Pain strode up beside them, and with some glee, she recognized Obito's signature in the back ground, somewhere inside. They were on a balcony, she realized at that moment.

"Ah, Yuu-chan. We have an announcement to make." He smiled at her, but it looked malicious with all the piercings and the eyes he adorned.

"With me…?"

Pain nodded at her confused question before setting his face straight and walking over to the edge, where the railing was. He lifted his arms.

"Citizens and shinobi of Ame!" And damn his voice was _booming_. She could see the soundwaves it created bouncing off the walls and stinging her ears. All the people down below huddled together at the foot of the tower, looking up at him, shouting in joy. He silenced them with a wave of his hand. "I am glad you are enjoying this most auspicious of days. As you know, we are gathered here to celebrate the freedom and prosperity I have brought to this country. Therefore, it is only fitting that on this occasion, I present to you a gift."

 _What is he saying…?_

Suddenly, Konan lifted her from under the arms and carried her towards the ginger man. Exclamations of awe and wonder sounded from below upon the Lady Angel of the Rain's appearance and Pain took her from the woman without even looking. Idly, Yuu compared herself to a ragdoll.

"My gift to you is my daughter." He spoke again and Yuupika blanched. _W-Wait, what…?_ "She is my legacy – heir to my throne." _Throne?! What is this, an autarchy?! No, a monarchy?!_ "She is the future. She will be the one to guide you in the coming era of peace. I present to you… the Princess of Ame!" And then she was thrust out into the air for all to see, and damn if she didn't feel like _mother fucking Simba from The Lion King_ as the crowd below burst into jubilant roars.

 _What the FUCK?!_

* * *

Training with Juzo the next day was silent. She huffed and puffed as they went through their routine, but he didn't make a sound until they were done and she collapsed onto the floor. Slowly, he laid down beside her.

"So… Princess of Ame, huh?" His voice was quiet and pensive. "How do you feel about that?" She took a few minutes to catch her breath before speaking.

"I don't know… I didn't expect it. I didn't know. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." She made a weak gesture with her hand and he caught her wrist, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her. She caught his serious gaze, and her breath hitched a little. _When he looks like that, the scar on the side of his face really stands out._

"What will you do?" Was his next question and she swallowed thickly.

"W-Well, I…um…well…"

"What will you do?" He repeated, his eyes narrowing just a bit. _Doesn't he know I'm just a toddler? How am I supposed to respond to that?_ She sighed, averting her attention back to the ceiling. Within seconds, her wrist was pinned to the floor and his free hand was planted to the other side of her head – he loomed over her with a penetrating glare. " _What. Will. You. Do?"_

Yuupika startled badly and punched his chest – which resulted in her other wrist being pinned down as well. She scowled at him but he held firm, going as far as to lower his face to hers until their foreheads were pressed firmly together. And in that moment, if anyone asked her, she would deny that she panicked a little bit on the inside and her heart did a jump.

"I…"

Yuupika squeezed her eyes shut and thought about it long and hard, about the timeline and the ruin that became the shinobi world. Many people died – thousands upon thousands – and most of them didn't even deserve it. They didn't deserve the devastation that the Akatsuki brought and all the loss. From what she saw today, Ame didn't deserve to become the isolated, starving country that it did under Hanzo, and then under Pain when he eventually forgot about his duties here. What were they going to do? All those civilians who didn't have a choice or anywhere to go? All the shinobi that were just following orders? She didn't want them to die…she didn't want them to suffer.

"I'll protect them…" She whispered, feeling her lips brush Juzo's in the barest. It was weird and she felt like this was a rather compromising position, but she was far too young to have hormones and their proximity wasn't even remotely of that nature. "I'll protect them." She said firmer this time.

"And how will you do that?" The man above her challenged and she opened her eyes yet again to peer into his with conviction.

"Any way I have to."

There was silence for a few deafening moments as he seemed to analyze her with eyes that looked every bit hardened from battle – She saw experience and loss and heartache there, rage and frustration coloring the mix for just a brief moment before they lit up with happiness and he beamed at her, murmuring words that made her whole body flush.

"You are worthy."

"…what the FUCK is going on here?!" Kakuzu's voice suddenly came from the entrance way ( _when the hell did he show up?!_ ) and both their heads whipped around to see him; seething with fury as black tentacles flailed wildly behind him.

"K-Kakuzu!" She exclaimed in surprise and Juzo immediately sprung back 6 feet from her body.

"H-Hey man, it's not what it looks like, hear me out-"

"Save your words! I suspected you from the start, _vile heathen_." Kakuzu's tone was absolutely animalistic and for a second, Yuupika felt a bit of heat flare in her chest at the thought that he was so protective of her.

"What'd you call me, _stitches_?!"

And with simultaneous battle-cries, the two men rushed at each other and Yuupika watched with wide eyes.

 _Oh my…_

* * *

That night, she had to make dinner by herself, seeing as both shinobi were injured. Pain and Konan joined them, though Pain insisted that she not make a portion for him and Konan was reprimanding the three for the majority of the preparation. The battle earlier on was Juzo and Kakuzu trying desperately to rip each other to shreds, which brought the attention of Pain – who honestly tried to split them up, but somehow took a backslap to the face by a tentacle he got in the way of and he just started fighting too. Since he only used Tendo around the base, it evened most of the odds and made for a pretty intense three-way. Yuu giggled a bit at her own thoughts as she flipped over a piece of steak. Konan came in shortly after and starting using explosive tags to get their attention before wrapping them in sheets of paper. Funny how S-Class shinobi get held up by such a thing. _Che. Guess no one can talk any more shit about paper beating rock. Oh! Speak of the devil._ Konan came up beside her with a sweet smile and a kiss to her crown.

"Need help, baby?" She asked, immediately starting to season the steaks. Yuupika smiled and thanked her, turning to the rice cooker as it beeped to stir its contents.

"Yuu-chaaannnn, is it almost done?" Juzo whined, dodging a fork from Kakuzu that came flying at his head. Pain stopped it from hitting the floor and returned it to the plate in front of the miser with an exasperated sigh.

"Shut up, this meal doesn't even take that long." Kakuzu snarled.

"Exactly!" He exclaimed. The old man narrowed his eyed in irritation, but Yuupika just chuckled.

"Yeah, it's almost done. Right, Kaa-san?" She looked over at Konan and the woman nodded, loading the meat onto a serving plate. The microwave went off and Yuu reached up to open it and grab the bowl of steaming vegetables that was inside. "Could you take the potatoes out of the oven, please?"

Minutes later, they were seated and served, Juzo giving an enthusiastic 'Itadakimasu!' before chowing down like he had been starved. There was a collective eye roll and they all followed suit. He moaned in satisfaction not even 5 minutes later, patting his stomach loudly with his one usable arm – an action that made Kakuzu grip his fork so hard that it bent. Yuupika had a wandering thought that the swordsman was so much like Naruto sometimes.

"That was soooo good, Yuu-chaaannn!"

Another fork came flying at his head and Pain sighed, obviously regretting some of his decisions as Kakuzu couldn't use one of his legs to go and get the utensil himself. Well, not like he was much better off. His back was in a brace. Konan broke out in a fit of reprimands once more.

Yuupika smiled at the lot of them, feeling a warmth rush in her veins that wasn't her blood as she watched them all interact. These were the people she lived with. The people she adored. These were the people she… loved. These were her…

 _Family._

 _…_

 _But where is Obito?_


	4. Beginnings of An Empire

A/N: Lol, sorry I was away for so long. Anyways, another chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

"Kaa-saaannnn! Can I have a laboratory?"

The blued haired woman glanced down to the little girl in her arms with a genuine " _what the fuck_ " look on her face and Yuupika had to bite back a giggle. Pain rose his eyes from their focus on a newspaper questioningly. "Why ever would you want that?"

"Because I have ideas, Kaa-san. I can make things." Yuu brought out the journal that was gifted to her on her birthday from inside her shirt and flipped through the pages showingly. "See, look! It's almost full." Konan gingerly took the book from her, readjusting the toddler on her hip as she went to sit down beside Pain at the table. The pierced man set down his paper and leaned over when she opened the cover and the two read through a few of her invention ideas with extreme interest. Kakuzu walked up behind them to investigate too, placing the large serving plate of banana pancakes down absently. _Che. He burned the edges. What a chump._

"I..see." Pain spoke slowly as he turned another page. _Ah, the coffee maker._ Kakuzu snatched the book from his hands immediately upon seeing it and after a few moments, his eyes turned to her.

"You can make this?" He asked and she smiled.

"I can make anything." Kakuzu nodded, satisfied and gave the book back to her.

Pain waved his hand and suddenly, one Zetsu was rising from the ground. "Secure a laboratory inside the base." He commanded and the plant man left without another word. _Creepy~._

"You truly are a little genius." Konan praised with a tweak to her nose and Yuu growled playfully, cheeks pink.

"Of course I am! Why did you ever doubt?" Pain chuckled, snatching a few pancakes before Juzo entered the kitchen.

"Yo, Yuu-chaaannn! Everybody else! Ooo, you made pancakes, stitches?" He asked, dodging a ladle Kakuzu launched at him as he sat down. It bounced against the wall on its handle and clattered to the floor without so much as a second glance from anyone. _At least it wasn't a kunai, like last time._ The miser grunted his confirmation, pouring more mix onto the hot griddle as the swordsman vacuumed up everything but the dining set. The following burp was loud and he patted his stomach contentedly while dodging the mixing spoon.

"Juzo-kuunnn, look!" Yuupika thrust the book into his face, open to a random page for his viewing. The former mist shinobi hummed as he took it, studying its contents approvingly.

"This is impressive, Yuu-chan!" He exclaimed, giving her a murderous grin of sharp teeth, and she beamed right back.

"Right?! I'm going to revolutionize the world!" She declared, snuggling into Konan's chest. _These are such nice pillows. I wonder what Tsunade's are like…_

* * *

Within the week, a laboratory had been set up on the lower levels, just a few below the kitchen, but above the training rooms. Yuu had jumped for joy and kissed Pain on the cheek – which he stuttered and scratched the back of his head at, saying it was really nothing – and began requesting materials right away. She talked excitedly as Zetsu wrote on a pad, his fingers scrambling to keep up with her speed. At the end of her list, she suddenly turned to him and poked his stomach. He tensed, raising his one eyebrow.

"And listen. I know it doesn't make much sense right now, but you can't give the younger brother what he wants." She told him, glaring with all she had in her. He stood, confused, both sides of him looking at her like she might actually be an idiot and she just scoffed.

"You'll know when the time comes, dummy." Yuu droned, inspecting the Petri dishes and microscope to her left. _Why do I need these…? …oh wait, that's right, I gotta recreate soft drinks. And chips now that I think about it. Just snacks in general, I guess. Damn, I got my work cut out for me._

" **Right**. We'll have these to you **promptly**." Zetsu's two sides said simultaneously, disappearing into the ground and leaving her alone. The toddler sighed, feeling 33 again. _I get three years of respite and then it's back to the labs again. Guess I'm too work oriented to really get away…_ Yuu smiled and looked around the room she would be spending most of her time in from now on, memorizing the little cracks in the wall and stains on the concrete floor. _Power. Recognition. Leverage. What will I do with it all? I guess only time will tell._ She thought, sitting down in a chair in front of a small workbench near the back of the room. A flick of her hand had her journal resting on the flat surface in front of her. All the ideas in that book could probably be sold for millions, each of them. She could be an instant billionaire.

But the again, it wouldn't do to have brilliant ideas put into the hands of the wrong people. Right here, where she was, was the safest place for such things.

Another week and her lab was packed. She felt a rush of adrenaline and happiness that had usually come when she was headed to work in the mornings back in her old world. She was ready to get back to it, high off that feeling and picked up a saw.

 _I'm going to change the world._

* * *

 _~ 6 months later ~_

"I'm going to kill everyone!"

Juzo skillfully ducked under a wrench thrown his way and Yuupika seethed that she didn't see blood. Kakuzu, standing safely in the corner, caught it with a black tendril and placed it by his side.

"Yuu-chan, we're just trying-"

"I'll break your tibias if you take one more step!" She shouted, hands grasping the next item within her reach.

"Now, I doubt you could really-"

"You wanna try me?!"

"Better safe than sorry," Kakuzu called from his place of cowering.

"Suck a fat one, stitches!" Juzo retorted. The older man narrowed his eyes and picked up the tool next to him.

"You wanna say that again?"

"Both of you, just get out!" Yuupika threw whatever was in her hand – a screwdriver – at the floor by Juzo's feet and both men just sighed.

"Are you-"

"Leave!"

With a shuffling of feet and a few quiet murmurs, her wish was adhered to and Yuu sat back in her cushiony chair with a groan of exasperation. Who were they to say that she couldn't mass produce her products? They had no power over her! Only Pain could grant her wish, and she could just as easily control him through Konan – who was, by the way, just infatuated with her. Those two knuckleheads just didn't understand her vision. They couldn't fathom with their pea minds what she was trying to accomplish.

Yuu sighed and peered through her fingers at the object to her right. _Good ole' coffee maker. A lot of people would absolutely love this thing! Honestly…_ There was a whine in the air.

"Yuu-chan."

"Madara-senpai!" Yuupika jumped up at the deep voice, her senjutsu detecting his arrival, and ran to hug his legs. He patted her head uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

"Well, it's time for your lesson," He began, but Yuupika cut him off.

"Wait, listen!" He looked down at her, cocking his head in something that might have been annoyance. She hoped it wasn't as she pointed to her invention. "See that over there? It's an automatic coffee maker."

"And…?" He drawled.

"I think if we mass-produced it, we could make a lot of money!" He bristled, but she waved her hand to ward off his next words as she detached herself from his form. "Just watch." Yuupika poured coffee grinds into the single serve cup and placed it inside the contraption, pressing the button on the display to heat the water and grabbed her own mug to put below the dispenser. It hissed for a moment and then started to filter the liquid out, and within 30 seconds Yuu was holding a steaming cup of caffeine.

"See? Look how handy that is?" She thrust the cup in his direction and he slowly took it, sniffing the substance as if it might be poison. Then, ever so slowly, he lifted up his mask and took a sip. _So pretty._

"It's…strong." He commented, then took another swig. "Refreshing." Yuupika beamed.

"Yeah! And you can have that every morning with less than a minute of preparation!" He nodded and placed the mug back on the table, pulling his mask down once more – much to Yuu's disappointment. She loved that face. "This is the first completed product that I have, but…I have a lot of other ideas! We could make a lot of money with my inventions!"

"Other ideas?" Obito parroted and Yuu retrieved her book.

"Look."

The man took it from her hands and began flipping through it, humming. "I see…"

"Yeah, so…what do you think?" There was silence for a few moments.

"Maybe."

"But, senpai!"

"It's time for your lesson." He told her again and his hand was on her shoulder, swirling them out of existence before she could argue.

* * *

"And so, we petition you for the right to mass produce my product." Yuupika finished.

Pain was staring at the three of them, unimpressed, with an equally amused Konan standing behind him in his office. Yuupika had marched in, with Juzo and Kakuzu in tow, and slapped the document down on his desk as she lectured him.

"Petition? You do know this isn't a democracy, right?" His eyebrow was raised and confusion flashed in his violet orbs. All blue for Yuupika.

"It is my right as a citizen of Amegakure to petition you." Yuu countered.

"What? Who? Who told you these lies?"

"Our demands are simple. Mass-produce the Coffee Maker machine or we leave the Akatsuki." Konan had a visibly hard time suppressing a giggle, shoulders shaking and her palm flying up to cover the quirk of her mouth.

"…do you even know what that would mean for you…?"

Juzo shifted uncomfortably, a rustle of fabric in Yuupika's ears. "Yuu-chan…I think we-"

"Don't forget who cooks your food."

Both men behind her stiffened, while the one in front just gawked a little before shaking his head and opening his mouth. "Yuupika, listen, this isn't-"

"I know where you sleep." Both his thin eyebrows receded into his hairline.

"I know where _you_ sleep, as well."

"Or do you?" Yuupika challenged.

"I check up on you every night." The chakra in his cheeks swirled a little and Yuupika almost smirked to know that he was holding back a blush. _How sweet._

"You think I don't know that?"

Pain sighed and hung his head in his hands. "Why are you so adamant about this? Do you even know how much it would cost to mass produce?"

"All the estimated calculations are on that sheet."

"That's not what I…" Another sigh. "And what if this backfires? Hm? How will you refill our coffers?" _Well, that's an easy one._

"Kakuzu and Juzo will team up and clear out the bingo book."

Pain just stared at her through his fingers, calculatingly. "…really?"

"Yeah."

"…"

"…"

"…fine."

Yuupika jumped for joy.

* * *

"And don't forget that the coffee grinder cannot go next to the water tank! It's a recipe for disaster, 'Kuzu-chan!" The miser grunted, sweat on his brow.

"And Juzo-kun! Watch out with those single serves! If you break even one, I'll break your fingers!" The swordsman started to protest, but a tendril wrapped around his throat and he choked.

"Be nice, boys! I want this lab set up, ASAP!" The toddler watched with a calculating eye as the two men set up the pseudo factory in one of the less used training rooms in HQ. It was frighteningly big, with a pond somewhere off to the side that Juzo had been tossed into more than once for Kakuzu's pleasure. Not that Yuupika was complaining. She was quite content with their antics, however one-sided, that kept the mood light. Being taijutsu masters with strong bodies, she enlisted their help for all the grunt work her ambitions required – because having several Zetsu clones walking around like mindless zombies would be ever so uncomfortable. It wasn't nearly time for that anyway.

No, that was in about 30 minutes, when they finished construction and the Zetsu clones would be slaves for production.

Someone had to operate the machinery.

Vaguely, Yuupika might have felt bad for them, but shook it off as ridiculous and endeavored to knee Juzo in the groin when he came closer for dropping a box of water reservoirs. There were no telling cracking sounds of the plastic, so Yuu resolved not to do it _too_ hard. She did need him, after all. After this, the trio was supposed to visit a dango shop and relax for the rest of the day until dinner. Tomorrow, Yuu had plans to start on her next project. The flat-top electrical stove. Boy, that would be a fun visit back into college mathematics. Maybe she would need to ask Pain for a fire-proof experimentation lab? _Yeah. That's probably for the best._ _On another note, I guess I'll start dabbling in the recreation of Doritos and Coka-Cola. And peanut butter cups. Mmm, definitely those._

Yuupika giggled, oblivious to the odd looks her boys gave her.

"Yuu-chan…?"

She snapped back to attention. "Work, Maggots!"

* * *

A month's time and skillful advertising made Yuupika a millionaire. Well. Technically, the Akatsuki picked up half of her funds, but the total profit was just over a million. Pain was mighty pleased with her if the telling little smirk on his face was anything to go by and she had ascended in status with Kakuzu. No longer was she 'brat'. Now, she was 'kid'. Juzo just made her swear to pay for all their outings, which she easily agreed to. Obito gave her this small pat to her head while Konan gushed at her genius and gave her a stern lecture about not wasting her personal funds. This prompted Pain to appoint Kakuzu as her personal account manager, and boy, did he take pleasure in handling all those bills.

The coffee maker was a stunning success. As was the launch of Coka-Cola. She had yet to make a public appearance and wasn't planning to for quite a few years, but journalists were already beginning to push for her identity. As was expected. Konan had assured her that Amegakure was near impossible to reach and that she was protected within the walls of HQ, which was nothing that Yuupika hadn't know already. It took a _Sannin_ and _spymaster_ to infiltrate this place. Even then, Pain and Konan had already been aware of his presence, they just let it happen.

At the present, Yuupika was sliding her perfected Reese's PBC's out of the freezer while taking a break from constructing her new stove. She inhaled the glorious scent of her creation (well, recreation, if anyone wanted to get technical) and set the tray down on her desk. There were 12 total, a full batch and with a piercing whistle to get their attentions, the rest of Akatsuki came meandering into her lab curiously. Juzo zipped up to her upon entry.

"Ooohhh, Yuu-chan, what's this?" His eyes grazed the treats hungrily.

"These," Yuupika began with pride. "Are Peanut Butter Cups! It's peanut butter surrounded by milk chocolate."

"Milk chocolate?" Kakuzu parroted in confusion, coming to a standstill beside Juzo. _Ah yes, had to reinvent that too._ Zetsu, Pain, and Konan shared a glance before joining the group, making a small circle around Yuupika's work desk.

"It's sweet chocolate. Not that bitter stuff that everyone eats. Why don't you guys try it?"

Hands hesitantly came forward and took pieces, Juzo being the first to push one into his mouth. He bit down and immediately, his eyes bulged.

"Mmmm, mmmm!" Was his enthusiastic exclamation and the others scrutinized him, most likely trying to deduce if he was poisoned as he devoured the thing whole. "Kami-sama, these are delicious!" Shock crossed the features of more than a few people and Yuupika couldn't help but feel annoyed. Honestly, did they have no faith in her? _Ninja are so irritating!_ Kakuzu was next to eat his and a few seconds later, he was nodding his head contentedly.

"Agreed."

The rest followed suit promptly and the toddler had to bat various hands reaching for seconds. "Don't be greedy!"

"I am the Leader of this organization and I perform various difficult tasks to hold us together. I deserve another." Pain argued, looking every bit dignified as snatched a cup faster than her eyes could follow.

"Hey!" Yuu cried, aggravated. Kakuzu wasted no time in following his example while she was distracted.

"I'm your manager and Akatsuki's financial advisor, I also deserve another." Yuupika rounded on him, eyes narrowed – which caused her to miss Juzo speedily plucking his seconds off the tray.

"I do all the hard work around here!" He shared happily as he chewed, giving everyone a less than appetizing sight. And while the little kunoichi recoiled in disgust, Konan swiped up one for herself.

"I have to deal with you all." She commented slyly, winking when Yuupika gasped in shock. Honestly, it was betrayal. That was her own Kaa-san! Quickly, Yuu gathered up the last three of her creations in her hands and held them close to her.

"No more! For any of you! Heathens!" She admonished as she tucked them back into her mini-freezer. The adults looked amused, all of them and filed out after a moment, going back to their separate tasks. Plopping back down in her chair, Yuupika sighed. "Honestly…we didn't even discuss mass-production! 'Kuzu-chan, damn it, get back here!"

* * *

It was late when Yuupika awoke to the rustle of sheets beside her and warm chest against her back. "Madara-senpai...?" She asked groggily and a deep hum of confirmation vibrated in her right ear. "Senpai..." Yuupika turned over to face him, pressing the cool napkin in her hands to his skin. She was simply too tired to activate her senjutsu, just trying to wait up for him had drained her of her energy. Pity, she used to be able to stay up for days in her old life.

"What's this?" His voice was low and his breath fanned over her cheeks, his fingers brushing hers as he took the wrapped item out of her grasp. Yuu shivered at the contact, wishing to ingrain the sensation of those callous fingertips against her pulse in her mind.

"Chocolate." She murmured, readjusting so her head was resting comfortably on his arm. She could faintly hear his heartbeat, strong and steady. Slow and calm. She felt irrationally safe.

"Hn." There was a crinkling and then a few nearly inaudible chews before Obito swallowed. "Did you make this?" Yuu nodded. "Hn." His slim digits tucked a stray strand of long hair behind her ear and slid along the underside of her jaw before leaving her skin cold in their wake. When she whimpered in displeasure, though, they returned and leisurely cupped her cheek, stroking her cheekbone. _Stay here. That feels nice._

"Did Senpai like them?" She inquired sleepily, grudging up just enough chakra to activate her senjutsu. The world burst into color and Yuupika could have sworn the almost invisible green rays of the moon glittered as they fell across his softly smiling face, beauty in every inch that was revealed. Her heart ached strangely in her chest.

"They were delicious." He purred.

It was not long after that Yuupika drifted asleep.


	5. So What'll It Be, Sasori?

A/N: Just a nice little conversion for you guys, since ryo is discussed in this chapter.

10 ryo = 1 US dollar

ONE ryo is approximately equivalent to ONE US dime.

So 3,000 ryo is approximately equivalent to 300 US dollars.

Also, all the dishes mentioned in this chapter are really good. Look 'em up.

Okay? Okay. Read on. :)

* * *

Sasori showed up around the release of the flat-top stove.

"'Kuzu-chan, who's that?" Yuupika whispered in the miser's ear as they observed the young man conversing with Pain. He had a beautiful shock of hair that looked soft as summer grass and half-mast eyes that were bored as they were…seductive? Yuupika almost shivered at the thought, her mind appreciating, but her body wary of the cooties. Kakuzu readjusted her on his hip, shifting in the pipe they were lurking in to get a better view. He sighed.

"I suppose that's our new member."

Yuupika glanced at him. "Really? It seems like he doesn't wanna be here."

"I did not want to be here either, at first. But, unfortunately, I'm a man of my word." He murmured with no real malice.

"And aren't you glad? You got to meet me!"

Kakuzu spared her a mock irritated look, flicking her nose. "Sometimes I wonder…"

"'Kuzu-chaann!" Yuu whined and the teen down below snapped his head in their direction. Pain raised an eyebrow, clearly less than amused, but Yuu didn't care, nudging the miser's arm. "C'mon!" He sighed defeatedly, dropping down towards where the two men were staring at them.

Sasori honed in on her, studying the odd markings on her face and the way she was perched on Kakuzu's hip, then at their matching black hair. Pain cleared his throat.

"And what might you be doing here, Yuu-chan, Kakuzu-san?" His tone was plain, if a bit exasperated and Yuupika grinned at him, pointing a still-chubby finger at Sasori.

"Is he the new one?" The former Suna nin narrowed his gaze at her hand, like he had the urge to cut it off, and then back at her.

"Yes." She faced him.

"I'm Yuupika! This is Kakuzu." She told him, waiting for his response. He continued to stare silently. After the moment turned awkward, Pain cleared his throat again.

"Yuupika is my daughter and heir-" She shivered. "-and Kakuzu is one of your associates." Sasori tilted his head slightly and zeroed in on Kakuzu.

"Sasori." He introduced and Yuu couldn't help but feel left out. He didn't think she was even worth his time! Well. She would change that with her genius. Hopefully. If she could get to Kakuzu, she would get to Sasori. From the way his skin glowed with blue chakra, she could tell that he wasn't fully puppet yet. And that meant that he hadn't taken the plunge – heart guarded but still open. Yuupika grinned again and Sasori spared a bothered glance towards her person, eyes flashing over her senjutsu markings once more. If he was interested in that – well, she would just have to stay a mystery until she reeled him in.

"Kakuzu, would you kindly take Yuupika for her bath?" Pain's voice cut through the silence for the umpteenth time and the miser cradling her nodded, lunging powerfully back into the pipes. Once again in the winding tunnels, he glanced calculatingly at her.

"What are you planning with this one?" The fingers on her tiny waist flexed and Yuu chuckled sagely.

"Now, now, what ever would make you think I'm a schemer?" She teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Really, child, you think I have not learned your habits by now? You're interested in him somehow." They came to an abrupt halt, the old man stiffening next to her. _Eh…?_ Then, in a gruff voice, "He's too old for you." He stated and Yuupika blanched.

"Oh my Kami-sama, not like that!" Her toddler body shook slightly at the thought of cooties once more. "I know that! He's just another S-Class like you and Juzo, so…"

Kakuzu shook his head. "I changed my mind. I don't want to know." They continued on.

* * *

When the stove released a few days later, her pseudo family threw a party in congratulations.

"You're wonderful, Yuupika!" Konan told her as she swept Yuu up into her arms, smiling brightly. Pain, who was standing next to them, gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek, which she giggled at. His startling Rinnegan eyes softened. Kakuzu was next, flicking her nose and taking her small body from Konan. He expertly perched her up on his shoulders, holding onto her legs to make sure she didn't fall.

"Not bad, kid."

"Yuu-chaaannnn!" And then there was Juzo. "This thing is great!" He stood over by their own piece of her creation, installed just a month ago before mass production began, with his hand on one of the hot plates. "How did you get it not to burn humans?" She hummed at the question, nerves sparking when she saw Sasori coming down the hallway.

"Well, it reacts to chakra. Latent, or not, if you have it, then it won't burn you. It reacts solely to the properties in metal and nature."

Pain thoughtfully scratched his chin. "I did not know that. So it is safe for civilians also?"

"Yup!" She chirped as Sasori lingered just outside the room.

"Brilliant. That should increase sales dramatically." The miser under her praised and Yuupika preened. The chakra in Sasori's body fuzzed a bit, akin to being startled and Pain immediately glanced at the doorway. _Did he just notice him?_

"Wow, this must cost a fortune…" Juzo murmured, then pivoted to grin at her with sharp teeth, tattoo stretching stupidly. "Glad you're with us!" Yuu's heart did an involuntary flip at that, her mouth moving without sound. Thankfully, Kakuzu spoke before she could make a complete fool of herself.

"Idiot. It's only 3,000 ryo."

Juzo's eyebrows shot up. "Only 3,000? Wow. Do you really plan to put everyone else out of business?"

"Y-Yeah. That's the plan." Yuupika stuttered awkwardly. _The hell?_ Distantly, she noted Sasori turning to leave.

"That's cold, Yuu-chan." He shook his head, smirking towards the floor.

"No, it's smart." Konan corrected, pinching her cheek.

"Ahh! Kaa-chan!" Yuu whined, rubbing her abused face. Pain chuckled.

"Look at our daughter, Pain. A business shark already." Konan sighed affectionately and the ginger next to her raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I'm so proud."

"Well, of course, she learned from the best." Kakuzu drawled in his rough voice and Yuu had to resist rolling her eyes. _Of course, old man. Of course you take the credit._

"Is that so?" Pain frowned in thought. "Well then. You are now her baby sitter." Both Yuupika and Kakuzu went stock still.

"… _what_?"

"This way, she will be exposed to more of your influence." The Tendo Path nodded to himself approvingly. "Yes, a wonderful idea."

"I refuse." The miser bit out.

"You cannot." Pain countered stoically.

"I will not."

"Managing Akatsuki's finances will serve as lessons to Yuupika."

"No."

"Perhaps you should also supervise her training with Juzo?"

"Absolutely not!" His grip on Yuupika's legs tightened and she whimpered. Konan narrowed her eyes angrily. "I have other duties to attend to, I will-"

"Be paid, of course."

"-gladly accept my duties, her business endeavors are a benefit to us all. Such lessons could prove profitable. And discipline is a must." Kakuzu repositioned her onto his hip, Konan still glaring at him.

" _Stitches."_ Juzo growled, and everyone's focus was diverted to him. "You hurt Yuu-chan." He swung his sword menacingly and tentacles erupted from the miser's body. Pain deftly plucked Yuupika from his grasp, a soft 'Banshō Ten'in' echoing underneath all the killing intent, and held her to his broad chest. Under her cheek, she felt the silky soft fabric of his cloak. "RUN!"

And with a whoosh of cool air, the two were off, clamoring down the hallway angrily. Konan sighed, sounding worn, and then there was a whine in the air and Yuu excitedly wiggled in Pain's hold.

"Madara-senpai!"

The distortion in the air ceased just as he patted her head. "Congratulations on your new release."

Yuupika nodded, smiling. "Do you want some cake?"

He tapped the mask where his pretty, pretty chin would be. "Perhaps after training."

"Is it that time already, Madara-sama?" Konan worriedly pulled up her sleeve, checking her watch.

"Yes. Cut the cake Yuu-chan, then we must be off."

She pouted, but took the knife when it was handed to her and obediently sliced the cake when she was brought to it. "Enjoy," Konan spoke in tender tones to her as she prepared two pieces on paper plates. "Kakuzu stayed up many late nights to get this right." Yuupika blushed, suddenly feeling an irrational sentiment for the food. _For me…?_

"Come now, Yuu-chan." Obito urged, holding out a slender, gloved hand, long fingers beckoning her. Pain carefully handed her off and Yuu was enveloped in the Uchiha's scent, her back familiarly pressed to his muscular form. One arm wrapped around her middle to keep her secure while the other balanced the two plates. _Kakuzu did that for me?_ Her body was warm even when Obito took them out of existence and into his own special dimension.

A few hours later, she was rewarded with his beautiful visage and plump lips as they closed around a forkful of red velvet, and Yuupika was entranced.

* * *

"Well?" Kakuzu smirked cockily, large arms crossed over his muscular chest as they stood in the kitchen the next day. Yuupika stirred the tomato sauce with an eye roll, sprinkling in basil and parsley.

"It was delicious, 'Kuzu-chan. You know you did well. 10/10." She praised and he chuckled in the deep way that echoed in the hallway beyond. "Now, pay attention! Spaghetti is a wishy-washy dish. If you don't watch the noodles, the whole thing could end up trash!"

Juzo strode in, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. "Yeah, 'Kuzu-chaannn!" A knife went flying and he stepped to the side to let it pass by him.

"Don't call me that, imbecile." The older man growled out, holding up a wooden spoon like a kunai.

Juzo shrugged good-naturedly and waved to her. "Hey, Yuu-chan! What's for dinner today? It's already like 5, you know. If you don't wanna be tired for training tomorrow morning, you need to hurry!"

"Shut up, idiot. This takes time."

Yuupika laughed and smiled in his direction. "Soon, Juzo. Have you met Sasori yet?" The shinobi's face twisted a bit at that.

"Yeah, on my way here. Not a very pleasant one, is he?" He shook his head, wild black hair falling onto his forehead before he ran a hand through it. Kakuzu snickered.

"He was amicable to Kakuzu." Yuupika frowned.

"Yeah, that's because they're two of a kind."

 _Oh, and there goes the sauce spoon…_

Caught off guard, Juzo got a large splatter on his cheek that dribbled down past his lips and off his chin. Absentmindedly, his tongue poked out to lick it, ignorant of the skin that was quickly bruising, if the angry sparks of chakra under it were anything to go by. "Mmm, delicious!"

Kakuzu's expression laced with satisfaction before he turned around and began tending to the noodles again. Suddenly, a mass of papers rushed in with a breeze, assembling quickly to the curvy form of Konan – who was scowling at Juzo.

"Whoa, what did I do?"

"Calling Sasori-san an antisocial prick?"

"What, he snitched?!" The nin looked comically outraged. _Is that really the first thought that comes to your mind?_ Yuu fought to hold back her humor.

"No, my paper butterflies did! Juzo!" She admonished.

"Its not my fault! Jeez, I wasn't the only one insulting the other! He started it!"

"That's not the point…!" Konan's fist came up slowly, clenched and shaking. Yuupika's eyes widened, glancing over to Juzo. _Wow, where did his tan go?!_ Not a moment later, his seat was empty and the padding of feet were distant down the hallway. Yuu didn't need to expand the range of her senjutsu to know that he high tailed it all the way down the training grounds.

 _Che. What an adorable chump._

* * *

Yuupika stood happily in front of Sasori's door, heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs balanced in one hand as she rapped on the wood with the other. A few moments later, it opened and the teenager in question stared irately down at her. She held up the food to him, smiling widely. His gaze shifted towards it for second before narrowing and focusing back on her.

"What is that?" He quipped.

"Spaghetti."

His eye twitched. "Spaghetti?" His tongue fumbled over the foreign word, chakra swirling minutely under the skin just below his eyelashes for only a moment. "Is that some form of poison, child?"

Yuupika's mouth quirked to the side, in a knowing way that made Sasori's nose twitch, like the wanted to snarl at her. "Why don't you see?"

He glared down at her. Unafraid, she opened her closed lids and lifted her eyes. They stared each other down. Cautiously, he took the plate, a small vial of mist appearing from the folds of his coat that he released over just over the noodles. Yuupika peered curiously at it as the sparkling specks of green nature chakra flitted down into the dish.

"What is that?"

"Neutralizer." He answered shortly without looking at her.

"Oh, you took me seriously." She chuckled and he actually did snarl as he took a small bite. Sasori paused mid-chew. Then slammed the door in her face.

Yuupika pouted. "Jeez, how unpleasant."

* * *

The same time next night, she appeared at his door with another dish. It creaked open uncertainly and a guarded teenager stared at her with a little less malice than yesterday, then down at the plate.

"What is that?"

"Paella." Yuupika said proudly, flexing her lips around the Spanish word and accent that was still fresh. He took it when she held it up, warm, smooth fingertips brushing her tiny knuckles. Another vial came out of his cloak and more mist settled down over the rice and seafood. Yuu was patient as he took a tentative bite, paused again, jaw rolling to let it all pass over his taste buds. Then he hummed in approval, short and deep, and used a string of chakra to hand her the empty plate she had given to him yesterday.

"Ah, so you did like it." She teased playfully and he scowled, promptly slamming the door in her face. Again.

Yuu giggled.

* * *

Another two weeks later and she found him standing expectantly at his door, arms crossed and eyes closed in waiting. His right hand was clasped around a vial, bare of his coat as she approached. His left lid slid open, assessing her and then his eyes moved down to the bowl. He frowned.

"What is that?"

 _Ah – I've never given him soup before._

"It's Chicken Soup. It's the first dish I ever taught Kakuzu." The puppet master stared at it as if it was his sworn enemy. "It's good, I promise. Want me to eat some first?" Sasori nodded at glacial speed. _Shinobi, I swear. Suspicious of even a child._ Sighing, Yuupika grasped the spoon in the bowl and brought up the steaming liquid to her face. She slurped it down in one go, shivering at the way her throat tightened from the heat.

And then they stood there for a good five minutes.

"Um…Sasori-san…are you going to take your food…?"

He awkwardly thrust his hand out.

 _Right…_ Yuu placed the cooling food in his hands and without turning back, he disappeared into his room, slamming the door behind him. _I guess he doesn't like soup?_

For another two weeks, he didn't answer the door.

* * *

When he finally caved in, it was a day that Yuupika came a bit early, with Pulpo A La Gallega and a vial of her own. Sasori took the plate but just stared at the hand with the glass tube.

"What is that?"

"It's creosote. A wood preserver that I made. I'm sorry if I upset you that one time..."

Sasori gazed at it intently. "A wood preserver? Such things do not exist."

She smiled softly. "I made one for you. Here," She fished two small wooden puppets from the waistband of her pants. They hung limply, scent of worn pinewood wafting off of them in small bits. "I brought these along so you could test it out. Um, it'll probably take about 3 months before-"

"I am familiar with rotting wood." He clipped and Yuu pressed her lips together tightly, gesturing her full hands to give herself something to do. The puppet master huffed, but took the materials from her via chakra strings and slammed the door. She sighed.

* * *

"Still no headway with Sasori-san?" Konan asked gently, fingers scrubbing the taut skin between Yuupika's shoulder blades. Yuupika sighed, tiny body relaxed and content with her ministrations, but mind stressed.

"No. I think even Kakuzu warmed up to me quicker. How crazy is that?"

Pain chuckled from his languid position in the bath with her, lounging against the rims of the claw foot tub."Sasori-san is a complicated person. Kakuzu is quite simple. Their dispositions play a part but aren't totally relevant to how they receive you."

Yuupika tossed that thought around in her mind. Sasori was quite complicated, wasn't he? His life was lonely. Supremely lonely, even from when he was little. He had no parents to speak of, they died long ago, and no one had told him what happened. He had to deal with feelings of abandonment and isolation, learning and pushing himself on his own, with no one at his back, eventually deducing the truth on his own. Granny Chiyo was distant. Too regretful and guilty to help. Compare his life to hers and…

 _Oh._

Yuupika smiled.

"I know what I'll do!" She clapped her hands together, making water splash over Pain's face. Konan laughed, sitting back on her heels to escape the small wave that reached over the tub and splashed to the floor when said man flailed a bit.

"Gahh!"

Yuupika giggled at his surprise, studying the way his strong features loosened, making his usual stern expression seem…endearing. There was a flash of smooth, unblemished skin and brown eyes in her mind and a quickening of her heart. _Is this the true face of Yahiko?_

A mischievous glint in Rinnegan pupils broke her from her reverie. "So you wanna play like that, hm?" His voice was delightfully warm, and Yuupika decided instantly that she wanted to hear it again. _Where has this man been hiding?_ Then pale hands burst up from the water and latched onto her sides and Pain – no, _Nagato –_ began to tickle her mercilessly. Her unhampered laughs echoed around in the tiled room, the harmony to the melody of two others before her as Nagato blew raspberries on her neck and held her to his pierced chest. His borrowed lips kissed her forehead lovingly, Konan's fingers carded tenderly through her hair.

And for all that she was blind, Yuupika swore she would bring color to their world.

* * *

Before she knew it, three months had passed Yuupika by.

"'Kuzu-chan, I'm going to cook by myself today."

The older man's eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm going to do something special for Sasori." She told him through her grin and he shrugged, turning his back to her to walk over to the table and take a seat. His arms crossed and his eyes closed, the rise and fall of his chest slowing. His long hair waterfalled over his shoulders and brushed his forearms and Yuupika felt her own chest tighten at the sight. Her palm came up to rest over her heart, the teardrop of blue topaz smooth and cool against it.

Then she turned and began.

* * *

Kakuzu kicked down the door with a bang. Sasori startled badly, immediately shooting up from his place of rest on his bed, the two puppets on his chest slipping to the floor. His eyes were wide and alert, angry as they set themselves on Kakuzu and Yuupika. She smiled at him as he growled at Kakuzu setting down several covered plates on his round table. The miser just ignored him, placing everything as Yuupika had told him to before striding out. The door clicked shut behind him. Sasori was still on guard, but Yuu saw his nose twitch at the aroma that drifted from the dishes on his table. Yuupika sat atop one of the chairs beside it.

"Come on." She beckoned him over with one hand and he snarled. "How does the creosote work, hm?" The puppet master's orbs softened a bit at that and redirected to the floor at his feet where the two puppets lay dejected. Slowly, he picked them up.

"Very well…" He reluctantly made himself say. "Test subject one is still in the same condition as it was three months ago, even though the wood was rapidly rotting." Yuupika hummed her acknowledgement and the room was silent for a few moments. "What are you doing here?" He asked in much calmer tones.

"I made a gourmet meal for you." Yuu stated simply and Sasori readjusted his weight from one foot to another.

"What's the matter with you, child?"

Yuu considered this for a moment. "Well, I'm a bit hungry." She responded with a bit of humor and he huffed exasperatedly.

"And you had my associate kick down my door just for that?"

"Yeah. So let's eat. I know you're hungry too."

"I am not." His stomach chose that perfect second to growl loudly and the chakra swirled madly in his cheeks. Yuupika smirked.

"Well, if you say so." With a click of his tongue and a tense figure, the teen made his way over, pulling up the other chair across from her. He sat down gracefully. "So, how old are you?" _Not that I don't know already._

He is eyes widened as she uncovered the first dish in front of him. Bread and Fondue Savoyarde revealed themselves. "What is this?"

Yuupika wagged her finger playfully. "Not until you tell me." The muscles in his face twitched and chakra once again swirled, but he stayed still. Yuu broke off a piece of soft goodness and dipped it generously in the cheesy sauce.

"…fifteen." He muttered as she bit down. "What is this?"

"Oh! You're 11 years older than me." She exclaimed. "This is French Cuisine, by the way."

His head cocked to the side in confusion. "…French?"

"You wouldn't know it. Try some." Skeptically, he took his own piece of bread, dipped it, and put it in his mouth. "Good, yeah?" He nodded. "Well, it's just an appetizer." When the bread was finished, she covered the dish once more and pushed it to the side. Two bowls took its place when she revealed what was on the next serving place.

"What is this?"

"Where did you grow up?"

Sasori glared softly, but spoke anyway. "Sunagakure." Yuupika nodded.

"I hear the heat is very dry over there. This is Gigot D'Agneau Pleureur with a small side of Cassoulet."

Sasori let her take bites of everything first before partaking himself, answering her little questions about his home village every so often while they ate. For the most part, it was quiet and he glanced up at her every once in a while, but Yuupika didn't mind. When they finished, she covered up the plate again and pushed it aside, making room for the last one of the night.

"Is the meal good so far?"

"Yes." His voice was pleasant.

"How did your parents die?"

Sasori shot up abruptly, his chair falling back and thumping against the concrete floor. "You...!" He bellowed, chakra surging wildly in his body. Yuupika swallowed her rising fear, her nature chakra spreading swiftly all over the base to see the reactions of the others. Pain and Konan immediately sensed it, bolting up from their places of rest in alarm. Kakuzu stiffened like a cat in cold water, but did not move otherwise, as she had asked him not to. And Juzo…well, he paused for a moment in the swinging of his sword and Yuupika could feel his chakra probing hers before…

He smiled. Yuupika felt warm in it.

"Tell me." She said just as softly as before and Yuu could swear the vein going down the middle of his forehead was about to burst, his rage was so clear. Konan and Pain rushed towards them. But she knew they wouldn't make it in time. "Let it out."

"You insolent brat!" _Isn't_ that _familiar?_ "I've had enough of you. What do you think-"

"You can't just bottle up your emotions! One day, you just have to explode!"

"Get out!"

"They died during the war, by the hands of the White Fang and they left you all alone! You're angry aren't you?" His hand slammed down on the table in warning, shaking everything on it. "Granny Chiyo wouldn't tell you, so you had to find out on your own, right? And she didn't help you when you needed it. The Mother and Father puppets couldn't help you when you needed it. Killing the Kazekage for his mistakes couldn't help you when you needed it. You're bitter. Why won't you admit it to yourself? Admit to yourself that you're hurting?" Yuupika pleaded with him and the murderous gleam in his wide orbs made her body tremble. "You've gotta feel it!" Juzo, who was much closer to her than Konan or Pain began to run towards them. Faster than she could blink, Sasori was in front of her and his hand struck across her cheek. Yuupika fell out of her chair and crumpled to the floor with the force of the blow, pain lancing through the right side of her face. Her jaw wouldn't move.

"OUT!"

Weakly, she pointed to the dessert dish still on the table. That's when Juzo burst in, swinging his sword down with all his might towards the puppet master. Sasori dodged and swiped a couple scrolls from his nightstand, snarling at the blade master. Juzo swung again, slicing the wood clean in half and Sasori fled from the room, looking for distance to release his creations. Moments later, Pain and Konan rushed in. Yuu was swept up into strong arms and deft fingers placed themselves firmly on her jaw before-

 _Snap!_

Yuupika cried out in pain, which was shushed to a whimper by a deep voice and kisses to her forehead. "Did Sasori do this to you?" Pain asked and she nodded, curling into his embrace. His harsh breath washed over her. "We will fix it."

Yuupika gripped his shirt with all her strength and shook her head. "It was my fault." She whispered, her jaw still aching after being reset. "Juzo will fix it." For a moment, it seemed as though he wouldn't listen to her, his breaths still harsh, but Konan put a calming hand on his arm and Yuupika reached up to kiss his cheek. Chakra swirled where her lips touched. His erratic pseudo-heartbeat slowed. "It's okay, Tou-san."

Nagato held her tighter.

* * *

Yuupika didn't see Sasori for another five days, but when he did show himself, he was covered in bruises, an arm slung in a cast with a soft smile. Kakuzu had stepped out for a moment to retrieve more oregano and paprika for their dish that night and she was left alone in the kitchen. The puppet master rounded the doorway. His chakra was calmer than it had ever been before.

Yuupika grinned. "Hey, Sasori."

"Hey Yuupika." He approached, holding out his hand. Yuu put her own out under it. A neatly folded paper fell onto her palm.

"Thank you."

"Of course." She held it tightly. "Are you sure you don't want this?"

"Yeah. I don't need it anymore." With that, he pivoted on his heel and left. Yuu opened the paper once more.

A handmade picture of Sasori and his parents embracing bared itself before her.

Yuupika threw it in the trash.

* * *

"And so?" The toddler pried, settling herself down in her chair.

"Well, I beat the snot out of him, of course." Juzo drawled arrogantly, snatching two steaks from the serving dish in front of him. Konan slapped his hand when he went for a third.

"Mmm, is that so." Pain quirked a thin eyebrow at him as Konan heaped vegetables onto his plate.

"Yeah. He's not so bad, ya know. Pretty decent when you get to know him. And we had quite a long chat that day."

"I was under the impression you despised him." Kakuzu said as he dropped two spoonfuls of potatoes onto Yuupika's plate.

"Nah. Forget all that. He's not so bad." Judo waved his hand dismissively as he spoke.

"Even though he crushed your foot?"

Yuupika was tempted to peek under the table to get another look at the mummified appendage.

"Oh this? Well, only if he's mad about me shattering is humerus. I'd say we're pretty even."

Pain sighed. "You are both lucky Konan knows medical ninjutsu. Otherwise, neither of you would be S Ranked criminals anymore."

"Yeesh, yeesh, take it easy, Leader-sama! We're fine now, so it doesn't matter." Juzo smiled disarmingly.

"Your recovery period is 10-12 weeks. If I so much as _suspect_ you're in that training room-"

Juzo cut Konan off. "I know! I'll be a good boy, promise."

"Something we don't hear often from our resident dog."

"Oi, stitches!"

"Room for one more?" A smooth voice came and Yuupika's eyes darted to the door. Sasori stood there, in a plain pair of blue pants and a loose shirt, hair damp after a shower and arm held to his chest in its sling. Yuupika smiled.

"Of course! C'mon." She gestured and Juzo turned to beam at the teenager.

"Sasori, my man!" His arms spread wide open and beckoned him closer. "Sit by me!"

The puppet master smirked. "Why would I want to do that, you heathen?" His tone was teasing and soft, no malice to note as he settled himself next to Juzo.

"Because we're friends, of course." There was a gleam in both their eyes and their fists met in a friendly bump.

"Hmph. If you insist."

"You should serve yourself before Juzo inhales the rest of the food." Pain warned with a playful smirk.

"Oi, it's not my fault I eat a lot! My body needs it!" The swordsman protested.

"Akatsuki's resident dog really does cost too much, Leader-sama."

"Oi, oi!"

Yuupika thought she would never forget the way their laughs filled the air.


	6. Oji-maru Orochimaru

A/N: Yo guys!

Not exactly a happy chapter. Hope you enjoy it though! :)

* * *

Yuupika seriously feared that guy. The slits of his eyes, pallid skin, wide smile, it was creepy as hell. He made her shiver like she was dowsed in cold water. Konan glanced at her worriedly as they watched Pain explain Orochimaru's duties to him. But his gaze kept straying over to her curiously, excitedly, and Yuu decided maybe it would have been best if she hadn't attended this greet. Kakuzu flicked her nose, breaking her out of her trance.

"What's wrong with you, child?" He asked, tone laced with a hint of concern.

Yuupika's orbs flickered over to him. Distantly, she noted that she was getting more and more used to having her lids open. "He experiments on young children." She divulged, whispering in the lowest tone she could manage. "Like me!" The old man's jaw clenched.

"That won't happen to you."

"You can't know that for sure…" She murmured, nuzzling into his collarbone.

He held her tighter. "You are Akatsuki's beloved child. No harm will ever befall you."

Yuu bit the inside of her cheek, absently playing with the fabric of his cloak until Pain called over. "Kakuzu, please bring Yuupika." The miser rubbed her back soothingly before striding towards the pair in the center of the room. The child was handed over and made to face Orochimaru, who observed her avidly. She slapped her fear back into the reaches of her mind and stared back. "This is my daughter and heir. In addition to your regular duties, Yuupika's safety should always be in mind." _Oh. That's new. Is this because of the Sasori incident? I thought we put that behind us…_

"Hmm, I see." His attentions grazed over her markings. "That's senjutsu, isn't it, child?" _Oh god._

"Hai, Orochimaru-san."

"I was informed that you are the genius scientist that created the electrical stove and the coffee maker." _Oh Jesus, he's interested in me_.

"Ah…yes. I am aware that you are also a genius scientist." The corner of his mouth quirked into a funny little smirk that made Yuupika want to tremble.

"I am. Perhaps we could trade notes."

 _NO!_ "Sure." _Damnit, what am I saying…?_ "Perhaps you would like to swing by my lab later?"

"I most certainly will." _Ugh, it sounds like we're setting up a date._ She smiled pleasantly at him. _I've gotta learn a storage seal fast!_

Pain went on to introduce the other members present, excluding one Sasori.

* * *

 _I really need some brownies and milk. Do they have those here?_ Yupika stumbled into the kitchen, sulking. _Why did Orochimaru even have to join the Akatsuki? He just leaves anyway. Not like I could change that._ The girl used the handles on the cabinets like rungs on a ladder to climb atop the counter. _He's such an unpredictable character. A great villain for a show, but now that said show is my life? Sucks majorly._ She grabbed flour and sugar from the cabinet to her right. _Do we still have cocoa powder from when Kaa-san got sick?_ Her hand rummaged through the cabinet to her left. _Ah, yes we do. Anyways._

With a small amount of trouble, Yuupika fetched two eggs and a stick of butter from the fridge beside her. _Do I really have to play nice? I mean, really – what's the point? He's just one of those unreachable characters, like Zetsu._ She retrieved a mixing bowl and an 8x8 pan from the cabinets below her, then popped the butter into the microwave. _Oh god – what am I gonna do about Zetsu? Oh god, oh god, oh god._ Yuu paused for a moment and took a deep breath. _No. Can't think about that now. Orochimaru. How to deal with Orochimaru?_ The microwave beeped and she carefully took out the mushy butter, unwrapping it and dropping it into the bowl. _This is the first character aside from Konan who showed a genuine interest in knowing me. But Konan is a good person._ She cracked the two eggs and let the substance within drip out to join the butter. With a deft flick of her wrist, the shells went flying into the garbage can behind her. _Orochimaru is freakin' evil!_ Yuupika grabbed a fork from the drawer on the other side of the stove and began to mix the wet ingredients together. Then she grabbed the sugar. _There's just no way I can convince him to be good, not me. The only one who can do that is Sasuke._ She poured in approximately a cup and mixed. The cocoa powder was next. _And that's over a decade from now! Like…14 years! Holy shit!_ ¾ of a cup was dumped unceremoniously by one hand, her other blending. Last came the flour. _What the hell am I gonna do? There's no way I can show him my book either! If he were to steal it…_ The white powder was slow to make its way into the bowl as Yuupika stirred the quickly browning concoction inside.

 _I have schematics for guns in there._

Yuupika went rigid. _Four and a half years old with the power to revolutionize the entire planet. These weapons could mean the dawning of a new age. In the wrong hands, though…_

 _Well. In this universe, it's better off if I just burn those pages and repress the memories._

Yuupika sighed, forcing her muscles to relax, and poured the mix carefully into the pan. She set the oven to 375 degress. _Everything here is so complicated. Why did I have to get dropped into the Narutoverse? Why?_ She slid the pan inside. _I wanna go home._

"What was that?"

Yuupika whipped around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, feeling a thrill of terror go through her at the sight of Orochimaru casually leaning against the doorframe at the entrance of the kitchen. _Why, fate, why?!_ "Ah…um…b-brownies. Orochimaru-san." He tilted his head to the side, confusion in his eyes.

"I am unfamiliar with such a dish." He said, pushing off the frame and striding closer.

"Well, I'm something of a culinary genius also." Yuupika told him, scratching her cheek in embarrassment and panic. He stopped a few feet in front of her, looking down amusedly.

"Ho? So is it you who cooks in Akatsuki as well?"

"Ahm, yes. Kakuzu joins me. He is something like a pupil of mine, even though he's my baby sitter…" _Shit, bitch, don't ramble._ The snake man nodded in acknowledgement, seeming to mull over something for a moment.

"Do you have any idea why you are so talented with culinary arts?"

 _Because I'm not actually Yuupika, I'm 33 year old Rosse who took care of her Puerto Rican grandmother for two and a half decades. But, I digress._

"Well…I guess I naturally excel at mixing different ingredients…? I just know what goes together." She tucked a strip of hair behind her ear. Orochimaru hummed.

"Do you know of chemistry?"

 _I mean, it was only my whole life._ "Yes, I am very familiar with it."

"Have you ever considered drabbling in poisons?" His slitted orbs were focused intently on her as Yuupika startled a bit. No…she never did consider that. She hadn't even thought of it. Not once.

"…I have not." He smirked and turned to leave.

"Well, I do believe you would be very talented in the art. We'll discuss more later this evening. Perhaps after dinner?" His voice carried down the hallway, leaving Yuupika no room to object. Her eyes fell to the floor. _Was I just…manipulated?_

 _Oh._

"Yuu **pika.** " The girl jumped just a little less when Zetsu suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Y-Yes?"

" **Madara-sama** wishes to **see** you." He said. _Obito…? Why?_

"Okay. Where is he?"

"Fo **llow** **u** s." He rose to his feet and pivoted, Yuupika following behind him like a lost puppy. She took most of the journey to observe the two different colors of chakra circling in him. Most of him was green, like the rest of nature, flowing and alive, but – on his left half, there was a film of blue covering the green, just faint traces of chakra that marked the existence of Black Zetsu. Like a thin shirt over a body, he wasn't a part of Zetsu at all, just hanging over him. He led her through winding halls, deeper into the base than she had gone before, where the lighting was dim and the walls were cracked. They stopped in front of a moldy door. Zetsu rapped twice before entering. Yuupika let her eyes stick to Obito, who was hovering over a table with a few scrolls and let her senjustu map out the rest of the room.

"Ah, Yuupika." He spoke without looking up.

"Madara-senpai…?"

He was silent for a few minutes, almost considering, before turning fully to her and removing his mask. Yuupika's breath caught at the sight of his beautiful face, missing how he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I do not want you anywhere near Orochimaru." _Oh,_ how his jaw moved – and those lips and slanted eyes…

"Why…?" Yuu managed. There was no way Obito could have known the full extent of the nuke nin's malice.

"I don't trust him." His pretty nose scrunched up. "He has been known to…take a special interest in children."

"…"

 _Wow._

 _He's evil as hell, but he's not a pedophile._

Yuupika had to dig her fingernails into her palms to keep the laughter that wanted to burst out inside of her. She settled with replying, "Okay, Madara-senpai. Whatever you say." The muscles in the Uchiha's arms visibly relaxed. "But what will I tell him after dinner? He asked to see my-"

" _No._ " The man bit out, narrowing his eyes at her. Chakra danced just behind them, letting her know that he had activated his sharingan. " _I forbid it._ " _Oh, he's serious._ The girl nodded obediently. _But really, what the hell will I tell him? Madara Uchiha told me not to see you? I'm not sure if Orochimaru even knows of his existence at this time, he might look at me like I'm batshit insane!_

 _…_ _well, that's not necessarily a_ bad _thing._

Obito sighed, running a gloved hand through his locks. "Alright, Yuu-chan, we must train now. Juzo will be unavailable for another four weeks and I have decided that it's time you learn to weild kunai.

"Really?!" She gushed. His gaze softened just a bit at her hopeful face.

"Yes. But I think it's best you take care of whatever is in the oven first."

Yuupika sniffed in confusion – then paled.

* * *

Feeling down from creating hockey pucks instead of delicious brownies, Yuupika decided to go with simple tempura that night. It had been quite a while since she had had anything that was properly Japanese and when she thought about it, there were quite a few dishes she missed tasting on her tongue.

She snuck a bite of seaweed. _Mm. Salty. Like chips. Maybe I'll re-invent Doritos and Dr. Pepper while I work on the dish washer._ Yuupika let out a chuckle. _Yep, sounds like a good deal._ Kakuzu came striding down the hallway from the stairs. _I wonder if there are elevators here. Or escalators…Are there even indoor malls? Oh my, that's a project to consider. If I end up redesigning clothes from my old world, I could open up a nice mall in Grass for Wind, Fire, and Earth, then one in Hotsprings for Lightning, Fire, and Water. I'll make nice jewelery and watches and shoes…mmm, I think I'll start that when I turn six. I've gotta get my hands on some earthen material to see what I can do about making Graphene for shinobi. Oh, they'd love it! That might take a few years though._

"Child, what are you doing?" Kakuzu's rasp came from above her and Yuupika craned her neck back to smile at him.

"Making some shrimp tempura. And I was thinking about making some new armor too."

He raised a brow. "New like everything else you invent?"

She nodded. "Do you want to hear about it?" He hummed in thought.

"Perhaps later. I am more interested in this tempura."

"Okay." Yuu redirected her focus back to the ingredients in front of her.

"Why such a simple dish today?"

"Well, I was trying to make this really delicious dessert, but it totally back fired on me and I just don't feel like making anything fancy tonight. Sorry, 'Kuzu-chan."

Kakuzu sighed playfully. "Such a child."

"Yeah, yeah." Yuupika smiled at his jest, wiping a small bit of wasabi on her shirt. _Hopefully Obito didn't want this back. If only I didn't have to handwash…_

 _Oh. Heh heh…_

"Child…?" Yuupika jumped suddenly off the counter with a rabbid grin and ran out of the kitchen, a confused and slightly alarmed Kakuzu following behind. "Yuupika?!"

"I just got a wonderful idea! Wonderful!" She called back to him as her stubby legs carried her down the stairs and towards her lab. He quickly caught up.

"Oh…?"

"Yeah!" She burst in, force of wind rustling loose schematics. "I'm going to make a washing machine!" Yuu snatched up her little book of ideas and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. The instructions and pictures to go along with it were there and she nearly cried at her stupidity. How had she not thought of this before? This machine was on the easier side to produce and she had already written down how to do so. Well then, she thought, she would just produce the dish washer and the washing machine at the same time. And then, a couple months later, introduce the washer/dryer combo and wow, she could probably buy another country at that point. What country would she buy if she could buy one? _Mmm, probably Grass. I could use it as a central hub for trade and such. A neutral country of sorts, essential to everyone so it could not be destroyed. Like breaking your own toe just to step on another. Perfect!_

"Yuupika."

 _Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't garnered the funds for that yet. Nor have I even gotten permission from my parents._ She sighed. _Maybe after I re-invent some of the more advanced machinery. I'm sure many people will be amazed by the power and numerous applications of the smart computer._

"Brat." Kakuzu picked her up by her scruff, holding her what must have been six feet off the ground to have her at eye level with him. He was scowling deeply and it occurred to Yuupika that she must have been ignoring him. Something she had never done before.

"Sorry, 'Kuzu-chan." She allowed herself to be bashful. At least she had an excuse not to meet up with Orochimaru today. That creep. "I just got lost in my thoughts. Will you finish up the tempura? And if you see Juzo, maybe ask him to guard my lab for the rest of the night. I do not wish to be disturbed, I've just had a brilliant idea." His face softened.

"It will make us money?"

"Even more than before. My product will soon be in every household. We'll have to discuss price though, it's gotta be affordable. Maybe I'll come out with different models, to appeal to the nobles of higher standing? They always like to have the best of-"

"Quiet, child." The miser looked more annoyed than anything now at her rambling, though the skin around his eyes wrinkled fondly. It was one of those expressions that made Yuupika's heart clench in her chest. "Don't start any strenuous work until the idiot arrives."

She outstretched her arms for a hug. His gaze was surprised for a moment and just a touch tender, and then he flicked her nose and set her back down, leaving quickly. Yuupika smiled.

* * *

Yuupika could only successfully avoid the snake for a few days. She was caught unaware and without an escape when he waltzed into her lab as she was welding two pieces of metal together to make the back panel of the washing machine. The man came as close as he dared with all the sparks flying and reaching for something to ignite on, watching with great interest as she finished her task. His eyes skimmed over the two pages she had ripped out of her book (which she thankfully had sealed on the back of the necklace Kakuzu gave her) that held the schematics for the invention and then back to her with a new sort of appreciation, as if he didn't know she was capable of planning her projects. The girl tried not to focus on him too much, even as her nature chakra was actively mapping out everything in the room, counting the sparks as they flew and giving her a complete 360 degree view of everything. It was…difficult. When she finished, she pulled up her protective face mask and smiled as friendly as she could.

"Hello, Orochimaru-san. Excuse the mess, as you can see, I'm very immersed in another project."

"Yes," His tongue didn't draw out the end as she expected it too. "Most impressive, this idea, if not a bit simple."

Yuupika wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or not. He complimented her in the same sentence too. It wasn't even her invention, she was just taking credit for it. He just got here. Was he already getting under her skin?

"Yes, well, it's the small details that change lives, you know." She countered after a moment, keeping her voice neutral. Yuupika took in the grace and poise he held himself with, then averted her attentions beack to the sheet of metal before her, dusting off some shavings with a gloved hand. "These machines will be used in every household. My products will become essential to the public. That brings in a lot of revenue." Orochimaru nodded, considering.

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Yuupika picked up her handsaw, not entirely sure how to respond to his bland statement and simultaneously wondering why she hadn't recreated power tools yet. A Sawz-all would handle the cut she had to make so cleanly. The sannin watched her make holes for the tubes to connect water and power in silence, oddly taken by her manual labor. His hands found the schematics and he reviewed them with a concentrated expression as she attached the sheet to the back of the nearly complete washing machine, eyes flickering over to her form when she staggered a bit in reaching for her hammer and nails. She was quite exhausted. She had stayed up for days, much to her own surprise, driven by stolen chakra pills that she wasn't quite old enough to take safely and the need to get this prototype done in time to still be on schedule to make her dish washer prototype. Yuupika hated to let him see her be weak, but she was steadily feeling the drop in her energy levels, a sign that it was nearing the time for her to take another pill. Slowly, she hammered metal to metal and then fell back on the ground. The range of her senjutsu narrowed considerably. Orochimaru stepped around the desk and knelt at her side, looming as he gave her a rather unimpressed stare.

"You have not left this room for several days. I had assumed that you were sleeping, but I see now that I was wrong." _He just loves to state the obvious._ With a seal of concentration, his hands lit up a dull green and passed over her body. _…what…?_ Yuupika blinked in shock. _Orochimaru knows medical ninjutsu…?_ "Hm. You're suffering from sleep exhaustion and substance overdose. Chakra pills have many applications, but this is not one of them, Yuupika." _And why is he speaking to me like a disappointed parent?!_ He sighed and scooped her up in his arms, walking swiftly out of the room and down the hallway that led towards the stairs. "I see now why Leader-sama has a concern for your health."

Two cool fingers pressed against the middle of her forehead, sending in a warm burst of chakra and Yuupika was outraged that she couldn't retort as she lost consciousness.

* * *

Orochimaru often liked to meander around her lab and observe her as she was working. Yuupika found quickly that she didn't really mind the company, despite him being so creepy. What grown man hung around children so frequently anyway? Yuupika had more than a few times (to her own shame and morbid amusement) entertained the thought that maybe he was a pedophile. But he never really made physical contact with her or got too close. Maybe it was just his shinobi instincts. His presence also brought along helpful suggestions. Yuupika hadn't really given much thought to the fact that she could and was fully capable of changing some of the designs that she had. She was brilliant, for sure, but she had never really intended to go above and beyond what had already been done in her previous world. Who would have imagined that the washer/dryer combo could contain a mechanism that would just drop the wet clothes into the dryer after they were done and the dryer could automatically start running? Orochimaru was always thinking one step ahead in everything, calculating how to take even the smallest things to the next level. Yuupika very much appreciated being in the presence of someone who was of near equal mental prowess in the field of science, even if such person didn't have the same understanding of technology as she did.

However, being with Orochimaru made it impossible for Yuupika to get Obito and his words out of her head. He had been gone for a few months now, off on some mission that probably involved Kiri with Zetsu occasionally popping up to update her training schedule and document her progress. The plant man, to her knowledge, did not know about her involvement with the snake and she was hell bent on making sure it stayed that way. The Uchiha would flip his shit if he found out. Yuupika felt an odd stir in her chest at the notion that Obito and his pretty, pretty mouth would yell at her for what she was doing.

"Well, I think we're done for today." The girl wiped a bit of sweat off her brow, smiling proudly at the finished products that were before them. Orochimaru hummed in agreement behind her, his gaze appreciating as it swept over the dish washer and the two models of the washer/dryer combo. Some few weeks ago, she had released the washing machine and dryer separate, with a statement of promise to the eager public that an upgrade would be coming soon. In a few months, after mass production, she would give that upgrade to them, with the addition of the dish washer. Kakuzu was quite happy about the profits that were already pouring in.

Yuupika couldn't help but feel like they could be going elsewhere.

The girl peeled off her gloves and dusted her clothes. "If you'll excuse me, Orochimaru-san." He tipped his head at her, slitted eyes flashing understanding as he turned and left the room. Despite having one of the most skewed moral codes, he was still very polite, Yuupika noted with a hint of amusement. _What an odd man to keep for company. Why do I anyways…_ Yuupika changed her dirty shirt out for a cleaner one that she had brought with her that morning and splashed her face with water in the slop sink near the door. It amazed her how fast she had grown over the years, remembering how she had stayed the same height since freshman year of high school in her last life. Now, she was doing all kinds of growing once again, sprouting up like a sapling, and it felt weird to be just a little leaner and longer everytime she checked.

The walk to Pain's office was uninterrupted and quiet, the only sound being of a distant downpour as she neared the top of the tower and knocked. "Come in," his deep voice called out, no doubt sensing who she was already and she did so, closing the door behind her. "Ah, Yuu-chan." He smiled softly at her, something that was slowly becoming more common, and set his pen down. "You don't usually come by my office."

She rubbed one of her arms sheepishly. "Yes, well, this isn't exactly a social visit." His expression morphed into one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" Yuupika took a deep, steadying breath and gathered up all the boldness she had in her after a long day.

"Tou-san, I want to channel half of my personal profits into Amegakure's accounts."

The man before her stilled, his face became carefully blank. "What's brought this on?"

Yuupika stood tall. "This city is a dump." The muscles in his dominant arm tensed. "My orphanage was one of the more fortunate ones…I really think we could really put this city back on the map if we start fixing it up like-"

"Amegakure is Akatsuki's headquarters. Nothing else." _What, seriously?_

"You can't just leave it like this." She was incredulous. "It's functioning now, but just barely. Didn't you used to love this place?"

"How I feel does not matter." His tone was hard and stern. "How you would know such a thing anyway is beyond me, Yuupika." She blushed, cursing her tongue in her head. "What good would come of making Amegakure a target for other villages? It cannot handle an onslaught, there would be many deaths." _So he does still care…_

"Tou-san…" Yuupika licked her lips. "Amegakure won't be a target. I can make it so it's just the opposite. Untouchable." How could already be shutting her down when the conversation had just started?

Pain raised an eyebrow just to humor her, she could tell. It stung. "For all that you are brilliant, you are still a naïve child. Do you think your five years of experience has any weight on my decades?" He was wrong, of course. She was, in fact, older than him and was far more knowledgable – definitely not a _naïve child_.

"I may not have experience, but I'm brilliant, just like you said. And I've read a great many books. I have extensive knowledge of politics and the warfare of the past. And Kakuzu is very thorough as a mentor, I-"

"You have never even left Amegakure. What would you know of the world? Of this time? Nothing is ever as you think you know it." _Oh, how wrong you are._

"Tou-san, will you please just hear me out? Please, trust me, I really believe-"

"I don't care." He waved his hand dismissively. _Oh._ Yuupika felt the slow burn in her eyes and the flush of her body. But she wasn't frustrated or particularly angry. _Of course. Of course my opinion doesn't matter to him._ "What would become of us if war was brought to our doorstep? What would become of the orphanage you came from? All those children?" _Oh, that's right. I'm not even his real daughter._ There was discontent as well as there was sorrow in her gut, churning, and she fidgeted like she wasn't comfortable in her own skin. It was the first time he had ever made her feel that way, worsened by the fact that even though she was visibly upset, his Rinnegan orbs stayed resolute and unforgiving. _Right now, where is Nagato?_ "I will not endanger more lives than absolutely necessary."

Despite her feelings, she couldn't give up just yet. With a lump in her throat and a shaky voice, she continued. "My products are in every household. Soon, they will become essential and people will depend on them without even realizing it. Don't you realize that? People will depend on us. The elemental nations will depend on us. Our ninja force is mostly made up of missing nin. If we train them up properly and culture the next generation, we could easily be just as good as the other villages. We have capable shinobi here, S-Classes who could definitely begin the process by taking on apprentices."

"The Akatsuki was not founded for the purpose of-"

"The money I would put into the system would be used to rebuild the city, then it would be slowly filtered into the economy so that the shops can buy better quality materials, make better quality things, and I would buy a huge plot of land in Grass to make this thing called a mall that would feature the latest and greatest things that come solely from Ame and it would become a central trading hub for the nations, and people would need it and I could get fields tilled out there, make superior fertilizer just for us and we would produce the best crops and over the years, we would most definitely seize control of the nations, have a monopoly over so many things that it would be suicide to try and wipe us from the map and-

"Enough!" Pain rose his voice, halting her rant and she sharply sucked in a much-needed breath. "I will not allow you to continue with this thinking. You truly do not understand how a nation, nor the shinobi world operates. Your ideas are foolish. The people of Amegakure endure mediocrity in order to survive. Their suffering is the reason they live. I will not take any chances with their lives or in upsetting the delicate balance I have worked very hard to maintain just for the idle ambitions of a child." Those words were like ice to Yuupika.

" _Nagato._ " Konan scolded harshly, and Yuu belatedly realized that she was standing behind her in the doorway, her face grim and angry. The young kuniochi hadn't even seen her approach, the range of her senjutsu was narrowed to focus on the man directly in front of her. Pain looked to the woman in surprise and Yuupika felt irrationally angry that he had. Was he dismissing her already? Her ideas didn't matter? Her thoughts weren't important? She wasn't important? Because she was just a child? _Because I'm not_ his _child?_

Konan had put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she was saying something but Yuupika didn't bother to hear it, brushing off the woman's appendage and running out the open door. She called after her, but Yuupika reinforced her legs with chakra and ran all the way to Obito's room, diving into his bed without a second thought. Most nights, she slept there with his strong chest at her back and warm breaths on her neck, but he hadn't been behind her for several months and his scent was missing in the sheets. At the moment, when she felt like she was needing his comforting presence the most, he was gone and she cried into his pillow.

Eventually, the wetness dried and her body calmed down, exhaustion seeping in as she bounced around the musings in her head that hormones of the body she was stuck in must have made her much more emotional than she usually was. Yes, that must have been it.

Yuupika slept without rest.

* * *

Orochimaru suddenly became a constant in her life, much like Juzo, Sasori, and Kakuzu. He was always there in her lab, just over her shoulder and she took comfort in him being there, his watchful eyes and helpful words almost therapeutic. She became excited to show him her developments and share her thoughts with him on her projects and a few more months passed in relative contentedness. The man himself began to praise her, laugh with her, work with her, his eyes lighting up when she came to bounce ideas off of him and have intellectual discussions. It was a weird relationship. It made her forget about everything else.

"You really would excel in poisons and the like, Yuupika." He said out of the blue one day. _Ah, that statement again._ She had only ever heard it once before, all those months back when she had attempted to make brownies in the kitchen. It seemed like such a distant memory now.

"Do you really think so?" She asked, pausing in drawing up new schematics. Her pencil rested on the table and he smiled, much different from the odd way he used to before. This smile was small and genuine, something like a sensei's when he considered his pupil. Or like an uncle, fondly at his kin.

"I know so. I could teach you everything you would ever want to know." Somehow, it sounded like poisons weren't the only subject anymore.

Yuupika smiled back. "I'd be honored, Orochimaru-sama."

A year passed.


	7. Catalyst of Change

A/N: Yo guys! Sorry it's been so long. There was a death in the family and then the holiday season came around so I haven't written much lately.

But I'll be getting back on track now that it's over and I'm better! Whoop! :D

Love you all, thank you for being patient.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but if I could own just his butt-cheeks, I don't think I would care all that much. ;)

* * *

"And the sage root has been grounded?"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." He smiled proudly, thin lips stretching.

"Well done. This poison is simpler than most, but very deadly. Can you tell me why?" He loomed over her, observing as she poured the fine powder into a vial of thick liquid.

"The scorpion venom being combined with the activating agents from restorative herbs makes the poison spread through the blood quicker." Yuupika answered, her own gaze intently focused on the way the substance fizzed.

"Correct." The completed poison settled and Orochimaru patted her head approvingly. "You really are such a prodigy. Your homework tonight is reading chapters 5 through 9. I expect a summary tomorrow when we meet again." He pulled off his latex gloves and hung his lab coat as he spoke, then strolled out. Yuupika sighed, feeling disappointment at his depature and glanced at the clock. _3:30. The same time every day._ The girl stretched her sore muscles, humming a familiar tune, and pulled off her own gloves. _I wish our lessons were longer._ She shrugged off her lab coat, walking to hang it on the hook by the door and splashed her face with water from the slop sink just beside it. The year had been more enlightening and informative than Yuupika thought it ever could be – Orochimaru had turned out to be a wonderful and efficient teacher. She was glad that she had gotten the chance to learn under him. Yuupika smiled to herself as she walked back to her room. _What an odd man, indeed…_

The room was empty, as always, just a bit too cold to be comfortable and the sheets were just as ruffled as she had left them that morning when she pulled herself out of bed. Obito had been gone for a year and a half. Yuupika had just recently gotten used to him not being around, not expecting in any way for him to be by her side or at least in the base. Now, when she looked at the bed or at his pillow, she just felt cool acceptance. She didn't hope for anything. She _was_ worried about her influence over him and if it would still hold when he was so far away, though. Yuupika sighed as she stripped from her clothes that she didn't quite get the time to change out of when she woke earlier and meandered into the bathroom. _Man…I still have to whip up a new batch of that creosote for Sasori…I guess I'll have to do that after dinner, since I told him to expect it by tomorrow. Which means another late night._ Yuupika plugged the drain and twisted the handle to the faucet in the tub, running hot water. _It's really amazing how tired this body gets…to think in my last life I went days without a wink of rest…how did I ever?_ She watched absently as the water level began to rise, steam floating up in the bathroom. _Oh, that's right! Tomorrow, I start training with a bokken! I can't believe Juzo is taking me up as an official apprentice…_ She squealed in joy as she opened the second drawer under the sink and grabbed a comb. _An apprentice! An apprentice! I'm going to learn kenjutsu! Who would have ever thought?_ Yuu pulled her long hair towards one side and began to sift through the tangles in long strokes, sighing. _I'm not sure if I really want to handle the executioner blade though, that thing is huge…and if I have it, how will Zabuza get it?_ She paused. _How…does Zabuza get the executioner's blade…?_ And then a memory of Juzo cleaved in half on the grass of the outskirts of Kiri assaulted her. She choked on her own spit in an aborted attempt to swallow. Coughs wracked her form and though no one was around, she reached for help as tears pooled in her eyes and pain pounded in her chest like her sternum was being jackhammered. _Juzo…Juzo dies. How could that happen? What mission was he sent on that put him in harm's way?_ And then anger rose up through the tears, towards Pain for sending him to a place where he knew Juzo could not return from.

"Is everything alright, Yuu?" Konan's voice broke through the heated silence and Yuupika suddenly remembered where she was, hand grabbing the knob to her right in haste to turn off the water in the almost overfull tub. _Right, it…hasn't happened yet._ She took a deep breath to curb the ache of her emotions.

"Everything's fine, Kaa-san." Yuu answered, setting aside her brush and lowering herself into the steaming water.

"Alright, honey. Let me know if you need anything." Footsteps padded away.

Yuu sighed again for the hundredth time that day and watched with fading interest as the surface of the pool rippled. _It's alright. I still have time to change things. I still have time._

* * *

When Yuupika showed up for practice the next morning, she latched onto Juzo's side with all her strength.

"Well, hey there, Yuu-chan! I'm happy to see you too!" His laughing voice nearly brought tears to her eyes and she held tighter without a word. "…Yuu-chan? Hey," He peeled her off of him and knelt down to her height. "What's…" His words were halted by her shiny eyes.

"I-I love you." Yuupika told him and Juzo's startled expression became a blur as tears spilled over.

"A-Ah…Yuu-chan…I'm…definitely way too old…"

"Not like that, you stupid brute!" Her fist thumped on his chest, then came back to wipe away the wetness on her cheeks. "I love you."

His mouth split into a sharp grin after a moment, one of which she could see clearly even through her impaired vision and Juzo pulled her to his chest to encase her in muscular arms. "Well, of course I feel the same, Yuu-koi! I'm not going anywhere."

That was just what she needed to hear.

"What exactly…is going on here?" A familiar gravely voice grated against Yuupika's ears and fear struck her heart – not fear for herself, of course. No, fear for the older party who's hug was intimate enough to warrant such a reaction from her beloved miser.

"Gahh!" Juzo scrambled back and away from her. "It's not what it looks like! Why are you even here?!"

"You…" Tentacles burst from tightly knit seams and Juzo yelped in fear. "Idiot!"

Yuupika laughed in the midst of all of the chaos that ensued, her heart deciding that maybe it was alright if Juzo were to die like this – but just like this. For doing something stupid to incite Kakuzu's wrath, failing to dodge a flying kunai, taking an accidental fatal blow in one of their heated spars – that's right, and then Pain could bring him back to life with the King of Hell and everything would be okay again. Everything would be okay. There could be no other way.

* * *

"Ne, 'Kuzu-chan…" Yuupika drummed her fingers on the edge of the kitchen counter she sat on.

"Hm?" He spared her a sideways glance as he whipped eggs in a bowl.

"Do you suppose one day, you might die?"

"Nonsense." His reply was immediate. "I have five hearts." She frowned.

"But you could still die, right?"

"I…suppose." His face scrunched up unpleasantly. "However, there are few capable of killing me."

"Have people tried?" What Yuu knew was irrational fear budded in her stomach, along with a hunger growl. She blushed, tucking her hair absently behind her ear and the miser rolled his eyes.

"Of course."

"And what did you do?" Kakuzu gave her a bland stare and Yuupika couldn't help but feel a tad bit stupid for asking. _Yes, of course. Right. He's a trained killer._ "I mean…did you turn them in for bounties?"

"Some. Why concern yourself with something like that?" Kakuzu poured the contents of the bowl onto a sizzling pan that she had placed on the stove some minutes back.

"I don't know…maybe I want you to teach me to bounty hunt?" The girl leaned forward, closer to his face and grinned. Kakuzu shook his head with a smirk.

"Not plausible. You're not cut out for such line of work."

 _Wha…_ "What?!" Yuu gaped. No, she didn't actually want to bounty hunt, but what if she had? How could he say something like that when she worked so hard? "Of course I am! I'm a trained shinobi just like you!"

"Trained shinobi?" He scoffed and dumped a cup of pancake mix into a dry bowl. "Shinobi in training is a better term. You're not nearly ready to be a shinobi."

"Well, what're you tryin' to say?" She poked his chest indignantly, mouth twisted in an angry pout. _He has absolutely no faith in me!_

"You'll continue to train until you're deemed ready to handle ranked threats. I'll not have you floundering about otherwise, looking to get yourself killed."

Yuupika paused.

"Eheheh…worried about me, are ya?" A smug smirk crept onto her face when he faltered for a moment in cracking an egg.

"Nonsense." He replied just a second too fast and Yuu giggled.

"Do you love me, 'Kuzu-chaaan?"

Kakuzu froze, his orbs planted on the half mixed batter in a faraway stare. There was silence in the kitchen for a few moments, Yuupika startling badly at his reaction, only disrupted by the popping of grease on the hot griddle. "Love?" He murmured, then shook his head with an odd quirk of his lips and looked at her with strange eyes. _What…what is this…?_ There was fondness there, Yuupika was sure, but there was also something else she couldn't understand, an emotion so deep, it was beyond her. _What is this feeling…?_ "Nonsense." He flicked her nose softly and redirected his attentions back to the bowl.

* * *

"I'm thinking of mass-producing this." Yuupika stated to the air because surely, Orochimaru was not listening. No, he was too engrossed in her new designs for a drill.

"And why is that?" The sannin drawled absentmindedly as he stroked his chin.

Yuupika sighed as she twirled the vial of creosote between her fingers. "I think I could really make a profit off of this. Most houses are made from wood, right? Or at least have a wood frame that's covered with some other material."

"Correct. Amegakure is the only village that uses steel for recreational and housing purposes." Orochimaru conjured up a pen from somewhere within his robes and jotted down a few words on her papers. Yuu was surprised that he was actually listening.

"This could be the catalyst, Orochimaru-sama." She murmured. The man halted for a second, then gingerly set down his pen and turned to her.

"What ever do you mean, child?" His slanted eyes studied her avidly and Yuupika had to resist the urge to shudder.

"Something as essential as this…it would be required in all the nations to keep buildings up to code. And we would be the sole producer. We'd have a monopoly. This could finally get us recognized by the five great. Don't you think so?" Yuupika looked up at his form, bathed in blue and the faint wisps of nature chakra surrounding him. _Odd._

"Is this your ambition? To hold the great nations in your hands?" He spoke slowly, deliberately, so every word he annunciated rang clear in my ears.

She nodded. "Something like that…"

"Hm." Orochimaru strode over leisurely and placed a slim hand atop her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "What would you have me do?" Yuupika smiled.

"Would you be willing to...train some of the ninja here? So we have qualified forces if we start receiving more missions?" He quirked a delicate eyebrow.

"Train them? Well, physically, perhaps Juzo would be willing. I, however, have more to offer in espionage…Yuupika…does your father know of this?"

Yuu's face heated. "Um…" _Well, I did bring it up, but that really didn't go well at all._

"…I see. Well. What he doesn't know, won't hurt him, yes?"

"Heehee…yes."

* * *

"…are you serious?"

"Yes. Completely. Please? I'll make you more creosote!"

Sasori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Do you understand the amount of trouble we would be in if your brilliant plan backfired?"

"Yes, I know, but it won't fail! Pleeaassee?" Yuu pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her. The nuke nin's eye twitched as he stared at her with his trademark bored expression and he sighed once more.

"Fine. But I'll kill anyone who gets on my nerves."

"Yes!" She squealed, jumping up and down. Sasori smiled softly at her, despite his obvious annoyance and Yuupika couldn't help but launch herself at him for a hug.

"Oof!" Sasori stumbled a bit, but caught them both on the doorframe behind him as the girl giggled and nuzzled into his stomach, planes of hard muscle pressing against her cheek. One of his hands awkwardly came up to pat her head.

"You won't regret it!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, yes…" He peeled her off with a clumsy urgency. _Che…guess he isn't used to physical contact._ "Anyways. What's for dinner? Shouldn't you be cooking?"

Yuupika scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Yeah, well…I wanted to ask you this first. But now that that's over with, wanna help me?"

"Help you cook?"

"Yep!"

Chakra swirled all over his face and his eyes widened before his head snapped to the side. "I'm…busy."

"Liar!" Yuupika grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his doorway, then proceeded to drag him down the hall.

"U-Um…Yuupika…"

"Shush!" He bit his thin lip at her reprimand. She knew he could have stopped her at anytime, probably wary of interacting with others too much – but he didn't and that made all the difference. When they made it to the kitchen, Kakuzu's stern expression morphed in confusion.

"What is this, child?"

"Sasori! He's gonna help us cook today!" The girl pushed him in front of her with a sloppy grin.

"It seems I do not have a choice…" Sasori said with a heavy flush and waved his hand placatingly at the older man – Kakuzu deadpanned.

"He's malfunctioning."

"He's just shy and antisocial." Yuu countered making the redhead's shoulders slump as she skipped to the fridge. "Why don't you sit down, Sasori?" The teen dropped himself into a chair, causing the miser to sigh and run a large hand over his stitched face, sending a glare at her that held no real malice.

"What dish are we making today?" His tone was half resigned and half annoyed.

"Weeelll, since we have a guest in the kitchen today," Yuu spun around with eggs in one hand and red peppers in the other. "We're going to try something new!"

Kakuzu perked up. "What kind of new?"

"The only kind of new you know me for." She winked and the former talk nin grinned menacingly like the Cheshire Cat, while Sasori furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly lost. "It's called Bami Goreng!"

* * *

Kakuzu patted his stomach. "Quite an acceptable meal."

Yuupika rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Sasori sighed contentedly. "I agree with Kakuzu-san."

"You can't even give me a compliment correctly!" The young kunoichi whined and the other two had the audacity to snigger. "Anyways!" She puffed up her cheeks in a pout and turned to the older of the two males. "I'm…trying to ask you something!"

"Ho?"

"Yeah…" Yuupika ran a hand through her silky hair, smelling of strawberries and mint. "It's kinda crazy. We could get in a lot of trouble. Hear me out?"

* * *

"'Course, Yuu-chan! I'll do it." Juzo said.

"R…Really?" Yuu blinked. "Just like that?"

"Yep." The swordsman swung aroung his blade expertly as he went through strange katas.

"W-Why?" She didn't want to look a gifthorse in the mouth, but…

"Well, you asked me, after all, didn't ya?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Who cares if it's crazy!" He beamed at her with murderous teeth and threatening tattoos in the middle of a thrust that cut through the wooden training dummy like butter. "I'd do anything for you."

Yuupika's heartbeat pounded in her ears.

* * *

They met in the fifth training room after dinner the next day.

"Jeez, what the heck is this place? It's got cobwebs all over! Yuu-chaaann!" Juzo complaining, dodging a kunai from Kakuzu that would have decapitated him.

"Imbecile. It's the genjutsu room, of course you've never seen it."

"What the hell, stitches!" Juzo snapped and a large vein pulsed on Kakuzu's forehead. "What're you trynna say?"

"Just as you think, you incompetent fool."

"You wanna fight?! I'll shove those words so far up your-"

"Would you shut up already?" Orochimaru snarled viscously, gritting his teeth so hard that Yuupika could almost hear the creaking of his jaw. "You just fought not even 5 minutes ago in the stairway! That is quite enough!"

Sasori suddenly poked her side and Yuupika turned to his smooth features, only marred by the slight twitch in his nose. "Are they always like this?"

"I think it's cute." She chirped happily and the poisoner sighed.

"You should respect your elders." Kakuzu spoke gruffly, crossing his large arms. Juzo barked a word of approval next to him, their previous argument seemingly forgotten and Yuu hid a giggle in her palm. "I fought your Shodaime. I could surely take you."

"But you lost." Orochimaru retorted, a cocky smirk stretching his thin lips. "And that's why Takigakure threw you in jail for 30 years, yes?" … _Jail…?_ Tentacles burst out into the room and Yuupika thought in that moment that perhaps she should not let the argument continue, no matter how surprised she was at the revelation.

"Okay!" She interjected before the miser could speak again. "So we're here to discuss our plan of action!" With tense bodies, the three turned to her, the room quiet besides a few mutterings from Juzo. "Right, so…" She cleared her throat, glancing at Sasori's unimpressed stare. "You guys are gonna train shinobi from Ame."

"That much is known."

Yuupika glared at Orochimaru, who cocked his head expectantly. " _Anyways._ This is serious, guys! I'm about to pull out the big guns with these inventions."

"Big guns? What are those?" Juzo inquired confusedly and her face heated.

"It's just a phrase, okay?! Focus!" The swordsman puffed his cheeks in a pout, receiving a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Sasori. "So this is how we're gonna do this," The kunoichi pointed at Orochimaru. "You will teach them stealth, sabotage, espionage, and all the in betweens." Then at Kakuzu. "You'll teach them politics, subtlety, and poise." Her finger rounded on Juzo. "You will train them in taijutsu and swordsmanship if they so desire. And you," Her orbs rested on Sasori and he patiently waited as she took a short rest to catch a breath. "Will school them in poisons, chakra control, and genjutsu." His eyebrows shot up.

"Genjutsu? I hardly know any." The teen protested.

"Maybe not, but you have near perfect chakra control and you're extremely adept at manipulating a multitude of things at any one time. Given the chance to take up genjutsu, you'd most likely be a prodigy."

"Yuu-chan's right, Sasori, my man! Your hundred puppet army was pretty impressive." Juzo praised, slapping the other on the back and chakra swirled frantically beneathe the skin under his eyelashes.

"I…concur." Orochimaru nodded his head reluctantly, his nose scrunched up. "For the sake of this goal, I'd…be willing to impart some genjutsu to you."

"Hmph." Sasori crossed his arms, but the defensive look in his half-lidded eyes softened.

"O~kay!" Yuupika sang. "You guys should take these next few months to get ready! My next releases will change everything."

"Quite bold words for a child." Kakuzu drawled playfully with a flick to her nose and Yuupika felt her stomach flutter pleasantly. _He believes in me. My 'Kuzu-chan…_

"Yeah, well…" She palmed the gem just above her heart tenderly. "The world never changed with an idle whisper."

"Well, come now, Sasori. We have much to discuss." Orochimaru sighed, waving his hand in a beckoning manner as he piovoted on his heel to leave. The poisoner clenched his fists for a moment, his doubts seemingly arresting time, before he followed after the Sannin and mumurings echoed in the hall beyond. Yuupika looked after them. _Perhaps, this time around…they won't hate each other? There is still time to change things…I can't be greedy about my own feelings…_

"Hey, Yuu-chan." Juzo's warm hand landed on her shoulder and she peered up at him curiously, throwing her previous wonderings to the back of her mind. "Do you know what tonight is?"

 _Um. Ummm._ "…no?"

He chuckled heartily, his other hand held over his bare stomach. _Jeez, doesn't he know what a shirt is? This chump…_ "It's the Festival of Tears!" Yuupika blinked. _Oh. OH._ "C'mon now, you can't seriously have forgotten about it!"

"Quiet, idiot. Yuupika is very busy." Kakuzu admonished beside him, whacking the former mist nin upside his head.

"Itai! What the heck?! It was just a question!" Juzo held his wounded crown with a frustrated pout that made Yuupika laugh.

"Of course I remember." She affirmed. "I guess I should hurry and get ready, huh."

"You bet'cha." He tweaked her nose. "We'll be waiting outside the building in two hours. Don't be late!" Kakuzu smacked his head once more and Juzo howled. "What the heck?! What did I do?!"

"Nothing." The miser smirked arrogantly.

"Argh! You know what, stitches, let's go! Right now!"

"Fool. I'd destroy you."

"As if you'd stand a chance!"

Needless to say, as Yuupika brushed her hair and curled it prettily, slipping into a yukata painted with raindrops and dewed flowers, the whole building shook with the force of their squabble.

 _Che. What chumps._

* * *

"Ya know, I still can't believe Leader-sama has all these people thinking he's some kind of god." Juzo commented with a frown as they watched the decorative floats pass by.

"He might as well be." Kakuzu answered and Yuupika sent him a questioning glance. "If you've ever seen him fight."

"Yeah, well…"

"Idiot."

Yuupika craned her neck back to peer up at the black sky, a distant memory of years ago coming back to her. There, in the darkest of colors, was a sweet face, handsome and warm. Smiling, plump lips, eyes of jewels, a brow of steel, and jaw like the leisure curve of a brook. Yuupika leaned into Kakuzu's chest, suddenly feeling an intense longing for the security of a touch and turned away from it.

 _Obito…_

 _Wasn't it just like this years ago? I still…where are you…?_

"Are you cold?" The miser above her readjusted his hold and enveloped her in the thick folds of his yukata. Yuupika nuzzled her nose into his bare chest, feeling the jiongu rustle just beneathe his tanned skin and nodded her head for his benefit, not wanting to reveal the true reason for her actions. The nuke nin placed a ginger kiss on her hair. "I will keep you warm."

"Heh…looks like you have a pot belly, 'Kuzu-chaaannn!"

" _I'll kill you_."

Juzo sniggered like he'd just stolen candy from a baby and the night went on. It was just as she remembered – the games, the food, the laughs and jokes, and even the occasional greeting or gift from villagers who recognized her. It was startling to Yuu, the kind of treatment she received simply for being the daughter of Pain, the Princess of Ame. The lamps hanging above the street, glowing green haze against the smiling faces of the people, were dimmed towards the end of the festival, when men and women began to gravitate towars the bars and children were escorted back home. The last float of Hanzo on his back went by, with a sculpture of the six paths of Pain standing above him and Yuupika endeavored to memorize that moment frozen in time. The stony stare of Yahiko bore into her own, it seemed, and her breath nearly caught in her throat. _This…it isn't what you want, is it?_ There was a soft graze on her shoulder, like fingers just barely brushing her skin, but when she whipped around to peer over Kakuzu's shoulder and face whomever it was, the street was nearly empty.

"What the matter, child?" He asked, his brow furrowed slightly. _Was it just my imagination?_

"Nothing…" She murmured after a few seconds and rested her forehead to his masked jaw. "Are we going home now?"

He leaned into her slightly, silken hair of his overgrown bangs tickling her temple. "Yes."

When they arrived back at the base's door, Yuupika was shocked to see her parents waiting there, clutching her new tanuki plushie tight to her form. "It's 8:25!" Konan growled.

"W-Well, we got back before 8:30?" Juzo replied lamely.

The woman snatched the girl up into her arms, hugging her tight against her bosom, cooing, "You okay, baby? These brutes take care of you? Did you have fun?"

"Yes, Kaa-san." Yuu sighed, resigning herself to the fate of being crushed by massive boobs and the scent of oceans – if only to avoid the gaze of Pain.

"Yeesh, yeesh…well, don't be late for training tomorrow, Yuu-chan!" Juzo called as he stepped around the greeting party and began to walk off.

"Hmph." Kakuzu grunted and flicked her nose with his forefinger and thumb when she turned to look at him before following after the other nuke nin. Konan chuckled.

"Alright, honey, let's get you washed up for bed."

"Okay, Kaa-san."

Pain walked behind them silently and strangely, Yuupika felt her heart ache.

* * *

It was late. Much later than she usually could stay up, and even though she was very busy tomorrow, she was still staring at her ceiling, stuck in her own thoughts. She could not take her mind off of the immortalized face of Yahiko on that float. She had never known him personally – but she knew of him and the person he was, what he stood for, the measures he was and wasn't willing to take. Surely, Nagato's way wasn't the answer to world peace. The shinobi world was perverse, for sure, but its redemption couldn't be equally so…right? The path to righteousness could not be so twisted and bent, wasn't it supposed to be straight and narrow? Being compassionate, yielding, possessing great humility and sympathy…wasn't that how to unite the people under one banner?

 _But…I don't want any of those things, do I?_ _I want to be all powerful over the five great and bring them together by slowly abolishing the shinobi system. I am no different than a dictator, then, am I not?_ She deactivated her senjutsu, laying an arm over her eyes.

 _Yahiko, how did you stay so pure? Already, I am being overrun by my ambitions, thinking things that don't even make any sense. You were so dedicated to your goal, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for it, not even knowing if your dreams would come to fruition! How could you trust so much, care so much, embody your hopes so fully that you would die for them? How would you react now, seeing how time and bitterness have butchered that dream? Your chosen successors have made me their successor…and I don't know if I can do this…_

 _What would you say to me? What would you do? I'm not cut out for this, I don't deserve their faith in me. Naruto is the one to take up your mantle and carry on the flames of hope for the world. I can't take his place! I can't take his place…_

There was a brush of fingers on her shoulder and immediately, Yuupika tapped into her nature chakra – seeing a face that she felt like she hadn't in years.

"Senpai…?"

Obito, _beautiful Obito_ , smiled softly, cupping her cheek with a smooth, gloved hand as he leaned over her on the bed. "What's the matter, Yuupika? Have you been waiting up for me all this time?"

Yuu didn't even know what overcame her – it was like a rush of two hundred different emotions at once, filling her chest that went tight with longing, and a hammering in her stomach. She bolted up and threw her arms around him, eyes stinging with tears and loneliness – idly, she thought that maybe he had _too_ much of an effect on her, even after all this time, but crushed it immediately in favor of exclaiming, "Senpai!"

The wayward Uchiha chuckled deeply, vibrations rebounding in Yuu's form, and wrapped his arms around her, somehow more muscular than before. _He's growing into a man._ "I missed you too, Yuu-chan."

Yuupika could hardly speak past the tightness in her throat, like it was contracting all at once. "Where were you?" _I missed you…so much. How could I have missed you so much? I didn't even know…_

"Busy," He responded, kissing her temple. "I had a great many things to take care of."

Yuupika clutched him even more desperately as he lowered them both back to the bed and pulled up the blankets, breathing in his scent like it was the air of heaven, soaking in his embrace like it was the refuge of god. "Senpai…" _I love you, I love you, I love you!_

"Sleep now, Yuupika. I promise I'll be here in the morning."

And she obeyed.


	8. Senpai: Part One

A/N: Enjoy!

Thanks for all your support and reviews! I appreciate them very much. :)

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, so Kishimoto better watch his back, lowkey.

* * *

Yuupika awoke slowly to the smell of pine and soft skin against her own and she immediately smiled. _Obito is home_. Unashamed, she hugged the Uchiha tighter, even though it was very early, and giggled when he kissed her hair.

"I see you're awake." He said as he carded his fingers through her locks.

"Goodmorning, Madara-senpai." She murmured sleepily in response. "How did you sleep?"

"Oh, just fine. You know, we have much to do today. I'll be taking over most of your training with Juzo."

She perked up. "Really? But, you know, he just took me on as an apprentice in kenjutsu!"

"Well, of course, you'll have an allotted time with him. But now that you've been properly trained physically, we can start on advanced taijutsu and ninjutsu technique."

"Oh my Kami, for real?" Yuupika squealed, kissing his cheek excitedly. "You're going to teach me ninjutsu?!" The man chuckled and slowly unraveled her arms from around his neck and Yuu activated her senjutsu to see his well-developed muscles flex as he sat up and stretched. _So beautiful._

"Not exactly. Ninjutsu technique is just preparation for when you do start to learn ninjutsu – but those lessons won't be under me."

"Wait…" Yuu pushed herself up on the bed to face him better, letting the covers pool at her waist. "You won't be teaching me ninjutsu?" What does that mean?

"Not until much later. My techniques are all very high level. You're not nearly ready." Obito cupped her cheek for a sweet moment and Yuupika leaned into his touch before it slipped away and he stood up from the bed, striding over to the wall. "Be ready in 20 minutes, Yuu-chan."

"Where are you going, senpai?" The girl slid off the bed and stood, feeling irrationally lonely without him near. It was ridiculous, she knew – but he had been gone for a very long time. Maybe if she took her eyes off of him for even a second, he'd…

"I'm going to use Zetsu's bathroom."

"…Huh?" _Zetsu…has a bathroom? Zetsu can use the bathroom? Zetsu's room is right next to mine?_

"His room doesn't have any doors since he can phase through walls." Obito scratched his head and began to walk through. "Just be ready when I come back for you."

Yuupika stood there in one of Obito's oversized shirts, dumbfounded for a good minute. _…oh. Okay…_ She shook her head of her wandering thoughts and walked over to the dresser at the end of the bed, snatching up a pair of what she hoped were black leggings, undergarments, and another of Obito's shirts. _Come to think of it, I don't really have an casual clothes of my own…I'll have to fix that._ Yuu sighed as she made her way to the bathroom, stripping off her garments and turning the knob for hot water. _I suppose after I reveal my identity, I'll have to start making public appearances – so I'll have to go shopping with Kaa-san. Ugh. What a drag._ She giggled suddenly at the familiarity of the term as she stepped into the shower. _This world doesn't really have the style of clothing that I like. Oh my Kami – how would they react to skinny jeans?!_ She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing out all the knots and reached for the shampoo. _I wonder how the people would react to skinny jeans and halter tops?_ She mused as she scrubbed. _There would be outrage, for sure. Especially in Konoha. The Hyuuga would flip! Maybe…maybe Kumo would be alright with it. Or Iwa. They're very expressive and unashamed, as I'm told. Okay, well, I can market there first._ She stepped under the running water, rinsing her hair. _They're not so bad – they have a burning hatred for the fourth hokage, but I haven't really done anything to them, so they should receive me just fine. They're extremely loyal people too. Just like Inuzuka. They would probably get along well…_ Yuu squirted conditioner onto her palm then began to massage it into her hair. _But that doesn't happen for a veeerrrry long time. Naruto is…two now, yes? Just about to be three. Which means, I'm going to be…six._

 _Whoa. I've been in this world for six years. How crazy is that?_

She scrubbed her body slowly with soap. _In just a few months…I wonder how long it will take for Amegakure to establish itself. Pain will thank me when it's done – when he sees how I have bettered the world towards peace._ Yuupika leaned under the shower head and let the water wash away the conditioner and body gel, reveling in the feeling of calm the repetitive drops gave her before turning the knob to cease the flow. She sighed as she grabbed her towel that hung off the wall and patted herself dry. _Well. I'll see soon enough._

Yuu wrapped up her long hair in the towel and gently set the toilet lid down, then sat and squirted some lotion from the bottle on the sink into her hands. She rubbed it in all over leisurely and dressed herself at just the same pace, cracking her neck as she slipped Obito's shirt over her head. _Okay._ She hung the towel once again and combed through her hair, straightening it. _I think I'm ready for today._ She squeezed a small amount of toothpaste on her toothbrush, then put it in her mouth. _Should I continue to call Obito my senpai? Or should I refer to him as my sensei now? He did say that I was his apprentice. Does that make him my shishou?_ The girl shuddered as she washed out her mouth. _That just sounds wrong…so…I guess I'll keep referring to him as my sensei? Why even bother with these thoughts, my head is gonna hurt…_ She complained silently with a groan.

"Are you nearly done in there, child? Your twenty minutes is almost up." The Uchiha's voice rang clear in the tiled room and Yuupika opened the door to his stern face, grinning.

"I'm ready!" She exclaimed and not a moment after was his hand on her shoulder and they were warping out of existence. Her feet touched down on the cold surface of his personal dimension and she vaguely regretted walking around barefoot all the time. The young man stepped away from her.

"Okay, Yuupika. We're going to start off with taijutsu, then I'll introduce you to ninjutsu technique as you recover."

"Okay, Madara-senpai."

And then his foot was planted in her gut.

Yuupika flew back, tumbling on the ground a few feet away and coughed violently on the floor. _So fast!_

"The most important part of taijutsu is evasion." Obito said, in his starting position once more, watching her struggle with cool eyes. "The difference between winning and losing is the amount of damage you sustain. Damage can take many forms – for example, physical." He slipped a senbon out of his weapon's pouch and vaulted it towards her. Yuupika just barely dodged, and yet a thin line of blood seeped down her neck from where the sharp needle grazed her, with a stinging pain to accompany it. "And then there is mental." A cloud of smoke poofed into existence, clearing within seconds to show…

"Kaa-san…?"

Konan smiled at her gently, outstretching a hand. And then Obito was suddenly behind her, cleaving her in two with his chained stakes and blood flew from her form. Yuupika's heart stopped.

"Kaa-san!" She cried out in desperation, anger bubbling up like volcano, but in the same instant, Konan burst into a cloud of smoke that dispersed with a fick of Obito's large hand. _Oh…just…a clone._ Yuupika straightened her back, taking a deep breath to stabilize herself.

"The only way to avoid physical damage is speed. The only way to avoid mental damage is desensitization." Obito's voice was as calm as ever and Yuu felt just a bit silly for the wild pounding in her heart. "I will school you in both." Something stirred inside of her. "Now, get up." And she obeyed.

Obito came at her once more, like lightning in the black sky, but she was ready this time and rolled to the side. "Good, you're learning." He came at her again, so fast that even though her nature chakra could track him and tell her exactly what he was doing and where he was going to be, she still struggled to vault out of his way and avoid the danger his attacks posed. It went on like this for another five minutes and she thought briefly that she was grasping what her senchakra was relaying to her before he suddenly stopped.

"Senpai?" She breathed out, wiping the first beads of perspiration from her brow.

"Deactivate your senjutsu."

"…what?" Was he crazy? That's how she was able to see! How she was able to become a ninja in the first place! What good would it be to take that from her?

"Do not question my decision." His tone was firm. "Deactivate your senjutsu." With several degrees of doubt and confusion, she obeyed and the whole world went dark to her. Her breath hitched – she had not been so powerless in front of an enemy in her whole life. Obito was not actively seeking to cause fatal damage to her, but his hits were harder than rock, bruising her skin wherever they landed. She was afraid. "There will inevitably come a time when you won't be able to rely on your senjutsu. In such situations, you will only have four senses to work with. To most, this is a debilitation that renders one unfit to be a ninja. However, what most people don't know is that there are other ways to see. Your senjutsu, while valuable, is also a weakness. You rely on it much too often. And when you are out of chakra, it is unavailable to you. What will you do then, in a fight for your life? Against someone who is coming at you with the intent to kill?" His fist planted against her chest and knocked the break out of her and she sagged to the floor. His words rang out above her. "You will use your four senses to paint a picture of your enemy and defend yourself. You will live only if you learn not to rely on your eyes but what your ears, nose, skin, and tongue tell you is true. I have mastered this art. Now I will teach you. Get up."

Yuupika trembled as she rose to her feet. "S-Senpai." She strained to breath, her lungs aching.

"What you will utilize first is sound and touch. Every move that your enemy makes causes a vibration in the air that you can hear and feel, with the rare exception of those who can move faster than the speed of sound. First you will learn to avoid damage using vibrations alone. This is why I have brought you here, to my dimension, where there is no outside interference. Here I come."

Yuupika arrived at her lab for Orochimaru's lessons battered, bruised and barely standing. The sannin took one look at her and rushed over, hands lit up in a pale green. "What in the world, child?!" His outraged voice made her smile a bit.

"I started advanced taijutsu training today." She croaked out and his body relaxed as he sighed exasperatedly.

"I see. Well. Best of luck to you then, my student."

"Thank you, shishou." She joked as he led her to the chair by her workbench and he gave her exactly five minutes before he began.

"So Yuupika, it's come to my attention recently that you only ever work on one project at a time." The snake prompted. She lifted her head from the table to focus in his direction.

"Yes…what about it?"

"Well," He folded his hands together, as if in preparation for a long speech and Yuupika caught an odd feeling of dread. "That is horribly inefficient. You are very lax with your work. You do things at your own leisure. While this is fine to ensure quality for your public inventions, it's been made apparent to me that you are left with a significant amount of time in which you could be working vigourously on more private inventions."

"You mean my rest days?"

"Whatever you call them," He waved his hand dismissively in the air and her eyebrows shot up. "They are opportunites in which you could be enaged in study. I know you are brilliant – your mind is almost as fine tuned as mine, although you lack the experience." _If only you knew, bub._ "I am of the belief that you and I could spend this time together to make astounding progress in certain areas of research. I am willing to clear out my schedule on these 'rest days' of yours to make this a reality. What say you?"

Yuupika observed his poise, the lines on his long face and how they shaped his expression, the chakra that was calm just beneath it, the even rhythm of his breaths, the thrum of his strong heartbeat on his wrist, and the relaxed state of his lean muscles. She knew what it all meant. _This is the stature of a man who has thought long and hard and has come to a conclusion. I've seen this many times before – he won't give up._

She sighed and resigned herself to letting go of any amount of privacy or respite she thought she would have in this life. _I'm in my twenties all over again._ "Okay, Orochimaru-sama."

He smiled like a man who's struck gold. "Then let us proceed with the lesson."

By the time she reached Kakuzu for dinner, she was completely burned out and swallowed three chakra pills dry.

"You look terrible." He told her and she chuckled, ignoring the choking feeling and trudging dutifully over to the fridge to gather ingredients.

"I started advanced taijutsu training today." Thank god that phrase was only valid until midnight. The miser laughed, long and loud, in the way that echoed far beyond in the halls and Yuupika relished in it's richness.

"Noted." He said when his humor finally died down and mussed up her hair with a heavy hand. "I know you will exceed all expectations."

"Thanks 'Kuzu-chan. You're the best." She murmured happily and the corners of his mouth twitched, chakra swirling in his cheeks. He crossed his arms haughtily to hide it, but Yuu knew anyways.

"Of course I am. So what are we making today?"

"Yeah, Yuu-chaann, what's for dinner?" Juzo came galavanting in with a softly smiling Sasori at his heels, both sweaty.

"Kakuzu and I are going to practice making Bami Goreng. And afterwards, we are trying out a new dessert. You all are welcome to try out the new dessert with us."

"Awe, really?" The swordsman beamed and Kakuzu flung a kitchen knife over his shoulder at him. He easily dodged, pulling Sasori out of the way with him.

"No. Not while you smell like that. Go take a shower and she might reconsider."

"You mean you might reconsider? You old miser! We were just sparring!" Yuu rocked back on her heels and giggled.

"He is right, Juzo-kun." Sasori patted the towering man's shoulder. "We reek." Juzo sighed and scratched the back of his head, pursing his lips.

"Well, fine. Only 'cause you say so, Sasori, my man. We'll be back though!" He threatened playfully, then threw an arm over the puppeteer's shoulders and strode out with idle chatter between them. The girl turned back to Kakuzu and he quirked a brow.

"Well, well, let's get started." He nodded. "Do you still remember what we do first?"

"Boil the noodles, I presume." He faced the cabinets and opened one to his left.

"Correeccttt!" She hopped up on the counter and leaned towards him as he opened the box of pasta, kissing his jaw. He spared her a mock-irritated glace, though the skin around his eyes wrinkled fondly and the gleam in his irises was warm.

"Such a child." A few minutes passed.

"Ne, 'Kuzu-chan…" Yuupika watched him crank the heat on the stove under a frying pan. An idea struck her so suddenly that it stopped all other train of thought and she gripped Kakuzu's sleeve with all her force. He looked at her alarmedly.

"Yuupika?" His hands found purchase on her body and he shook her to break her from her self-induced stupor. She stared at him for just a moment more before breaking into a stupid grin.

"'Kuzu-chan! I have a brilliant new idea!" She grasped his shoulders as she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"New like…?" His body was less tense.

"No, not exactly." She corrected his silent assumption. "It's an improvement to the stovetop. Listen – what if the stovetop was a single surface that heated all over? Instead of four or five separate units? So, like, you turn on the heat and it stays stored like potential energy until you put a pot or pan on it and then it releases that heat to just the area that the bottom of the thing covers? So, like," She was fumbling over her own tongue in her excitement. "You can arrange your pots and pans however you like to make the most efficient use of the space? It's…it's brilliant!"

In truth, perhaps she was too excited, but this was a breakthrough in her own mind. This was an invention she had made up by herself, and just herself. Not off the ideas of inventors from her past life, but _of the brainpower that was her own._ How would this have been received in the world that she came from? As a budding inventor, scientist, innovator, a child of the future as the older ones would call her, it almost felt like a continuation of who she used to be bleeding over into this life. It felt like a string of connection had been made to a dimension far away, where she came from, irrationally. Ridiculous as it was, she almost felt like Rosse again who used to do this kind of thing all time. Something lit inside of her – Orochimaru was right. Why was she wasting so much time? This world was not a hindrance, it was an opportunity to break and recreate the ideals, the norms, the limits of science and reality. Chakra…chakra could change everything. Suddenly, there were millions of possibilities before her that she had never considered. In that moment of enlightenment, it felt like colors suddenly came back to her in different ways, not visible by the eyes, but in her mind.

Yuupika kissed Kakuzu's face in a plethora of places, showering him with affection that made the bounty hunter blush like a school girl and his chakra swirl in strong, warm ways. She wasn't thinking about him at all, but rather was venting her own adrenaline. "Kakuzu, Kakuzu! I'm so happy!"

"Yes," The older man agreed and swooped her off the counter, Yuupika delighting in the contagious nature of her joy as he lifted her in the air above his head, like setting her on a pedestal. Her hair fell in a curtain around them. "I'm so happy!" She laughed, giddy. _Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!_ "I'm so happy! I love you!" She reached for his face and cupped it and he lowered her down, so she could touch her nose to his and cherish the tender moment. She had no idea why – but somehow her chest was light and buzzing as she looked into his heavy lidded orbs. _Maybe it's the ecstasy, but right now, it feels like, just, somehow, I don't know, maybe Kakuzu, maybe he just really my, my-_

"Tou-chan." She whispered and he shuddered. "I love you."

"What the hell?"

Both their heads snapped sideways at the sound of Juzo's voice, who stood in the doorway mightily confused and just a bit mischevious. "What…what are you doing here?" Kakuzu managed, lowering Yuu back to the counter.

"I just…came back to see if my cloak was here…but...that doesn't matter!" He pointed his finger at the other nukenin accusingly, with a devious grin, and said miser almost flinched. "I caught you! What were you doing, you hypocrite! Stitches!" He laughed almost manically. "I caught you! Aha! Ahahaha!"

"What is all this about?" Konan materialized at the doorway, quirking an intrigued eyebrow at the swordsman's antics.

"Kaku-" Knives went flying at exactly that moment at a speed that they never flew before and Juzo had to bend over backwards not to get impaled, dodging a lost option. When he straightened again, his hands were hastily raised in surrender. "Okay! I won't say nothin'!" Konan looked back and forth between them a few times before sighing resignedly and resting her eyes on Yuupika with a feminine smile.

"Hey, honey."

"Hey, Kaa-san." The girl beamed and Konan strode over gracefully to kiss her cheek.

"These brutes, hm?" She berated lightly and Yuupika giggled.

"Go take a shower, idiot." Kakuzu growled in irritation, turning back to the stove to resume his cooking.

"I already did." Juzo replied and settled himself into one of the chairs beside the kitchen table. "Can't you smell the soap? It's green tea scented."

"Hmph."

Sasori rounded the entrance with a laugh. "It's much better than the ginseng body wash you bought."

Chakra swirled in Juzo's face and he scowled. "That's only because you spiked it with turmeric!" Konan's mouth twitched as she tried to hold back her humor at the statement and Sasori waved his hand in dismissal.

"All the same." He spoke, sitting down next to his friend. Yuupika couldn't help but let a smile stretch her face, so wide that it hurt her cheeks. Moments like these made her heart stir in content and the love she had for these people expand. She was overflowed with it constantly. Konan rummaged through the vegetable drawer in the fridge and pulled out a leek.

"Need some help, Kakuzu?" She asked as her paper butterflies dislodged a knife from the wall across the way.

"I suppose." He answered, glancing disinterestedly at the blade that floated back towards them. Konan hummed.

"Just hurry!" Juzo whined. "I wanna try the dessert that Yuu-chan said we would make." There was a collective eye roll.

"All you ever think about is food." Sasori commented, a twitch in his slender fingers drawing out a wooden figurine from somewhere inside his weapon pouch.

"And sparing." The tattoed man chided.

"And sparing." The puppeteer agreed.

Kakuzu sighed, laying thawed chicken on the pan that the egg previously occupied, now cut into strips on a plate to the side. "Would you pass the chicken broth?"

"Sure." The Lady Angel opened the cabinet in front of her and plucked a container out, offering it to him. Kakuzu twisted the cap and poured a generous amount in the pan with the chicken slice.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

"What's that?" Juzo leaned close to Sasori to observe the figurine he was fiddling with and the teen, in turn, dangled it by an arm.

"It's an experiement in it's early stages." He said cryptically and Juzo's expression twisted in puzzlement.

"What experiment?"

"Whether human life can be sustained inside wood."

Yuupika froze, tendrils of cold fear and disbelief wrapping around her stomach. _No…_

"That seems a bit far fetched, Sasori." Konan admitted, glancing over her shoulder skeptically. The redhead frowned a bit.

"Yeah, my man, how would you even manage it?"

"Well," Sasori scratched his cheek. "I've got a few ideas, but truthfully, I haven't come up with anything substantial yet. Orochimaru and I discussed it briefly and I became interested." _So that's how that happened…I thought that I stopped it. I thought I saved him…_

Juzo chuckled and playfully punched the other's arm. "Well, I'm sure you'll find a way." Sasori's cheeks swirled minimally with chakra.

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, Yuupika was on the brink of hyperventilation. _I can't believe this. I can't believe he still…didn't he only switch to his puppet body because he wanted to eliminate the pain he was feeling? I did it for him! Why is he still even considering it? Oh my Kami. Okay. Okay! It's okay. I still have time! I still have enough time. Everything will be fine. I'll find a way._ She took a calming breath, and leaned her back against the side of the fridge, closing her eyes. The idle chatter continued around her and she pitched in every so often to guide Kakuzu and Konan in the dish they endeavored to make. _It's alright._ She kept repeating in her head like a mantra. _I still have time._ After they ate and dishes were washed, Juzo scooped her up into an embrace.

"Okay, Yuu-chan! I order you to tell Juzo-nii what this mystery dessert is!" He gave her a flippant glare.

"Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites." She told him, threading her fingers in his wild mane to steady herself in his one-armed hold.

"Hm..." He considered, then nodded. "Sounds good enough."

"What are the ingredients?" Kakuzu chimed in.

"Well," She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We need three bananas, half a cup of peanut butter, half a cup of chocolate, and one tablespoon of coconut oil." The miser cocked his head curiously.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, it's really simple." She affirmed and he smirked cockily. Yuupika knew he would probably master this one on the first try, and he knew it too. "Chop chop, let's start!"

* * *

"Senpai, I'm soooo tired." She complained that night, curling into Obito's chest. The Uchiha chuckled, propping his head up on his hand to stare at her.

"Well, why don't you rest?" He suggested and she scowled.

"I wanna spend time with Senpai." She said easily and his eyebrows shot up, his pretty, pretty face a picture of surprise and a bit of humor.

"Ho? We'll spend plenty of time tomorrow during training."

"No!" Yuupika glared at him sleepily. "It's not the same." He hummed at this and the vibrations made her shiver pleasantly. _I love this voice._

"Well, do you want to play a game?" Obito asked, a couple of slender fingers twining with her locks.

"What game?" She murmured, feeling drowsiness weighing her body down more and more by the second.

"Seven questions." He responded, smoothing down her hair in calming strokes. _Doesn't he mean twenty questions? Oh, whatever…_

"Sure, senpai..."

"Okay. You first."

"Mmm…what is it that you want the most in the whole world?" Her own voice was nearly inaudible and she thought that she much preferred to hear his gracing her ears.

"That is a secret!" He rejoined, his tone tinkering with playfulness and Yuu imagined that if she had to give it a visual representation, it would be like the darkness that surrounded moonbeams or an aged wine, elegant and alluring.

"No fair, Senpai." She didn't really care. "Your turn…"

"What is it that _you_ want the most in the whole world?" He asked as her senjutsu faded and she clutched his shoulder with weak strength when his warmth receded slightly. _No good. Stay here!_ "I was just pulling up the blanket," Obito defended, but she shook her head.

"No. Stay right here." The man above her chuckled and hugged her. _See, Senpai? We don't need blankets._

"Of course. Rest."

* * *

They sat across from each other, Obito not the slightest bit winded and Yuupika panting like she had lost her lungs and just recently acquired a new pair. She tiredly plucked a senbon out of her arm.

"Now, listen Yuupika. As you know, there are five basic transformations; fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water, in that order." He produced a blank sheet of paper and pen as he talked, drawing out the circle of elements. "In a clockwise motion, each element is stronger." His pen dragged around the circle, from fire, to wind, to lightning, to earth, to water, and back to fire. "In a counter-clockwise motion, each element is weaker." The pen reversed. "'Why is this?' you may ask. Well, the circle of elements, if broken down," He flipped the paper and drew a straight line with seven marks on it. "Turns into the table of ratios. Shinobi are inclined towards one or two elements more so than others because their natural ratios of physical and spiritual chakra, in that order. For example, fire." He wrote it out in the middle with two numbers separated by a colon. "Having fire as your primary element would mean that your physical and spiritual chakra are balanced at 5 to 5."

"Does that mean it's the easiest to learn?" Yuupika asked and Obito laughed.

"No element is easy to learn. Your chakra ratio will just increase your potential to master that element by naturally filling out one of the prerequisites for performing jutsu."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, to perform a jutsu, you must adjust your chakra ratio to match that of the element the jutsu you wish to perform is natured. Fire is 5 to 5." He pointed to the dash in the middle. "Wind is 6 to 4," He marked the dash just above fire. "Earth is 8 to 2," He marked the one above wind. "Water is 4 to 6," He marked the dash just below fire. "And lightning is 3 to 7." He marked the dash below water. "On the ends of the spectrum, there are yin and yang." He marked the dash above earth as yang and the dash below lightning as yin. "Yang is pure physical energy, 10 to 0." He wrote that down. "Yin is pure spiritual energy, 0 to 10." He wrote that down as well. "Without each other, they cannot exist and their variations in intensity are what form the five elements."

"Well, what about kekkei genkai users? Doujutsu?"

"Doujutsu are not relevant to chakra ratios, they are a result of mutated chakra pathways in the eyes, passed down through genetics. Kekkei genkai's I will explain in a more advanced lesson. Focus." He admonished her and she felt her face heat in shame.

"Okay…"

"Anyways. The first thing I will be teaching you is how to adjust the ratio of physical and spiritual chakra in your coils."

"That…sounds hard." Yuupika grimaced and Obito smiled at her.

"It is very hard. Let us begin."

* * *

Time passed like that. Morning lessons with Obito were both brutal and amazing and for the two days out of the week that their lessons were cut short and she went to Juzo for kenjutsu training, she wanted to go back to her Uchiha.

She started to feel the vibrations after three weeks. They were small, like little whispers across her skin and faint buzzing in her ears that she had to strain to hear. If she was too far away, she couldn't hear or feel them at all. She couldn't really read them – they just let her know when something was coming from a general direction. Once that began, Obito ordered her to conduct daily life like this, without the use of her senjutsu, excluding the times when she worked on projects in her lab. It was…infuriating at first. But, she couldn't deny that she was progressing faster than she ever thought she would. She also learned that she was primarily earth natured, her resting ratio at 8:2.

Three months saw the release of her improved flat-top stove. Everyone was ecstatic. It was a stunning success. It also saw the release of creosote, which Suna and Kiri scrambled for like flies to food. In her progress, Yuupika could just barely adjust her ratio to 6:4 and hold it there, although it took great effort. Obito told her that the more she practiced, the easier it would be, and the farther she pushed herself towards the opposite end of the spectrum, the more malleable her ratio would become, until it was eventually fluid, like his. Vibrations buzzed in her ear, hardly distinguishable and sometimes overwhelming, the sensation on her skin like fingers crawling all over. No doubt, they were easier to detect than before, but she could not conjure any sort of picture in her minds eye in regards to the environment. Yuupika missed her senjutsu like she missed Christmas. Shouldn't she fix that? This world could use a holiday like Christmas.

Orochimaru, Sasori, Kakuzu and Juzo commenced training A-rank Ame nins before any others – there weren't all that terribly many, probably just enough for the group to handle and they did so on the second floor of the base, where a few abandoned rooms were dusted down and cleaned. Zetsu clones (those miserable slaves) handled all the dirty work, like arranging the weapons room, setting up a classroom for Kakuzu and Sasori, recreating Orochimaru's lab, and padding the floors of the newly dubbed dojo that was used for general practice and was the largest room by far. Yuupika kept the information in mind that Kakuzu had many partners that he killed before Hidan was retrieved. She wondered if he was in the process of training those partners right now.

Her birthday was celebrated shortly and Yuupika thought of it as just an even number, no more than she thought of odd numbers. She was happy though.

Five months and the first-ever pagers were introduced to the public. For everyday use, they were handheld devices a mere 5 inches long with a screen no bigger than 2 inches, all ½ a centimeter thick, sporting a small letter board underneath. They were water resistant and customizable, to a degree. Each pager had a number and required your name, for record, and a moniker you could choose to appear as. You could enter and save others' numbers, connecting your devices to each other, in which their name or chosen moniker would appear every time they paged you with a short message, no larger than 50 characters. They came in six different colors: gold, rose gold, silver, black, pastel pink, and blue. Yuupika liked to think of them as prehistoric phones, or perhaps the blackberrys of this world. They operated by wireless towers that received signals from from up to half a mile away, which were tuned into a master board that held a record of all registered pagers. For a pager to receive signal from towers, it had to be registered. In the event of a blackout, steel-corded wires could be used to connect the towers to the master board and allow for communication as normal, which she recommended be connected at all times, regardless of circumstance. Needless to say, the demand was incredibly high.

Shinobi standard pagers were made from graphinated tungsten carbide, a combined material that she created with great effort, many sleepless nights, and the wonder of nature chakra as a bonding agent. Whereas before, graphene could only ever be one atom thick, nature chakra acted like a glue and under an electron mircroscope that Orochimaru adored her for, she was able to lace it like a needle and thread through several sheets of graphene. They bonded like two magnets in it's presence, becoming as flexible as ribbons. She injected this saturated graphene into the small voids of tungsten carbide, eliminating its easily breakable qualities, and making it just about indestructible. This material as a pager could withstand 5,197 degrees farenheit of heat (she received a bona fide 'thank you' letter from the Terumi clan regarding this), could shatter glass with a touch and bones with a punch, and were completely water proof, operating on a satellite that she launched into the atmosphere just days before the release. It could send signals from anywhere in the world to a special master board by two buttons on either side – one a regular transmitter and one for SOS. These went even faster than the civilian grade pagers.

Six months and she could distinguish vibrations by their intensity and the frequencies they gave off, quiet hums of different tones in her ears. She could stretch her chakra to an even 5:5, a milestone in Obito's book that he took her out for icecream for, even though the cold rain had turned into cold snow. Yuu strung up lights all around the city and begged her mentor to transport the biggest douglas fir tree from Yuki country that she could find to the square in the middle of town, which she gathered the citizens to hang up ornaments. They were delighted by the presence of their Lady Angel to help them reach the uppermost branches and gushed over their Princess as she explained the festivities. The children crowded around her excitedly as she explained the concept of "Santa" and the North Pole. Teenagers disregarded this of course, but leaned in anyways to hear the stories of wonder as flurries fell to the ground.

And then she received a love confession, from a boy barely older than herself, who's chakra swirled madly around his face as he presented her with chocolates _that he made himself_ and promised he'd never ever let her go. Yuupika was surprised. She supposed he was cute for his tender age, freckles spotting his nose and cheeks and curly hair falling over his wide eyes innocently. _He'll probably be a stunner when he grows up._

And so she kissed his cheek in thanks and politely declined, stating she'd only marry a shinobi capable of conquering her.

Pain had stomped into her lab during Orochimaru's lesson a few days later, angrily demanding to know why he was suddenly receiving so many proposals for betrothal from the upper echelons of Ame nin and why there was a sudden demand spike for a ninja academy. Orochimaru irritately explained the situation for her as she refused to even look at the man _who still had never apologized_ , then proceeded to boldly give Pain a tongue lashing about interrupting the progression of her education with "something as exceedingly frivolous and inconsequential as this,". That was something that Yuupika would always remember with a goofy smile.

Nine months and Yuupika could proudly say that she was able to achieve the tender ratio of 4:6 and hold it there. It was March and spring was approaching soon. She asked Sasori and Juzo, who were recently dubbed temporary partners, to gather all sorts of flowers, every kind, in their travels so she could make use of the wide field of dirt on the 22nd floor that she discovered by accident, on the condition that Sasori and Orochimaru would be able to use it also for growing their own materials. Immediately, the sannin had all his fertiling agents moved to the floor and they put all other projects on hold to recreate a source of natural light for the huge space. The work was tiring – but she received her first tanto earlier that month from Juzo and she was still caught up in the happiness of what it signified, so such grogginess in her body didn't matter.

The vibrations spoke to her and Yuupika learned to listen to what they were saying. The speed at which they traveled, the intensity, the hum in her ears, the size of them rippling across her skin – with a low whistle, she could describe the whole kitchen. Something like echo location, she realized. To combat her blindness, she had learned to sharpen her hearing and the sensitivity of her skin to such a degree, sometimes aided by the use of chakra enhancing in a taijutsu lesson, that she could locate most anything. Obito told her that she would reach a level someday that he never could because of her lack of sight. In some ways, she learned, her blindness was a gift.

On a side note, she released various snacks and cook books that the Akimichi sent actual marriage proposals over to appease demand from the public as she strove for the answer to her lighting problem. And in response to this, to discover who this 'Yuu-sensei' was, a reporter attempted to sneak into the city.

Pain was not amused.

But Yuupika catered to both sides by agreeing to a public meeting sometime in the coming year. She had no idea how the public would receive her. She hoped everything would turn out fine.

10 months and the thirteen students of Sasori, Orochimaru, Kakuzu and Juzo were released as tentative S-Class fighters to train up any willing C and B-rank Ame ninja to A-ranks. They took over second floor of the tower for this purpose and soon, it was not uncommon to see ninja coming and going, eager for their lessons and eager to learn. Kakuzu flattened the first floor into a field that was used for ninjutsu training against clone zetsus. She swore the original started to look at her with a bit of animosity. C-ranks that did not wish to advance in rank but still wanted to play a part were advised to begin training the younger generation, who were dying to become strong for one reason or another. Zetsu clones soon were forced to clear out nearly all the rooms on second floor to accommodate and Kakuzu blasted through a number of smaller ones to create a large space that became a caferia. Yuupika personally paid for all the supplies, the renovations, and hired droves of women and some men for part-time jobs as cafeteria workers to be cooking at nearly all times. She made sure to pay generously, 200 ryo an hour, never making the cooks work more than four hours and four days a week, paying double for those who chose to work overtime. She knew that for many, it would become their livelihood.

By 11 months, the second floor settled into a routine – the children often came during the day, while higher ranking shinobi liked to flock at night. Yuupika supplied them everything – the finest quality of weapons and materials, for both groups. It was only by the blessing of Kami himself that Pain was too busy in his office to recognize what was happening. Maybe it was because he knew Yuupika herself was too caught up in her own training to ever venture to the second floor, so he never paid it any mind. Did he ever do inspections of the tower? She hoped not, shivering at the chill of Obito's personal dimension and discarding the thought in favor of trying her hardest to focus on holding her chakra at 3:7.

When 12 months came, Obito took her outside to Kusa's plains and told her to feel the grass and the wind and find the pebble placed somewhere within it. She was dumbfounded at all the new sensations, at the way that the howling of the breeze muted the humming of the vibrations, the tingling on her skin overshadowed by the tickle of grass on her feet and air blowing against her. Her echo-location imitation did not work here, where there was nothing but open space. She could not find it. The pebble was lost to her. She was lost herself. When Obito next touched her arm and pulled her into his embrace, the atmosphere had cooled and there were warm tears in streaks down her face. The frustration almost consumed her and she clutched his cloak.

"I don't understand!" She whispered heatedly. "Has all my training been for nothing?" He shushed her with a kiss to the top of her head.

"It will all be fine. It is time to start the second part of your training."

* * *

A/N: I received an inquiry about the nature of Yuupika's actions towards the members of Akatsuki earlier and I thought that maybe I wasn't being clear enough in my writing, so, I've decided to take some time to explain a bit about the relationships in Depth Perception.

Yuupika's relationship with Obito: Yuupika really does love Obito, but it is an innocent love right now, what you would expect from a child towards someone they look up to. She doesn't have the hormones yet to be capable of serious romantic depth. She idolizes him, though - all the signs are there. Thinking of him constantly, hypersensitive to everything he does, obeying him without most of the time doubt and craving his affection and acknowledgement.

Yuupika's relationship with Kakuzu: He is the person that she is most comfortable with, a father figure since she never got to develop that sort of relationship with Nagato. Yuupika's bond with him is the deepest and she shows it by constantly giving affection to him even if it usually isn't returned. He takes care of her, going out of his way and ensuring she's comfortable even at his own expense and she recognizes it.

Yuupika's relationship with Juzo: Brother figure. She teases him and laughs at him getting reprimanded, loves him dearly and fights with him sometimes. He brings color and constant change to her world.

Yuupika's relationship with Sasori: Yuupika is not as close with him as some other members of Akatsuki, but they share a special bond of gratitude and respect. She helped him through a difficult time. He's like another brother, but older than how she perceives Juzo. Sasori's real bond is with Juzo.

Yuupika's relationship with Orochimaru: Yuupika looks up to him and respects his intellect. Her view of him is kind of twisted though - she used him as a crutch to ignore the pain that Nagato caused within her and the betrayal she felt from him, so she feels an irrational sense of obligation towards Orochimaru in addition to any affection she might have developed, allowing her to mostly ignore lingering wariness of him. They are primarily sensei and student.

Yuupika's relationship with Nagato: Anger. Betrayal. She avoids him and is in two parts irritated and unsettled by his presence, even though she still subconsciously craves closure and closeness with him.

Yuupika's relationship with Konan: The woman is a mother figure to Yuupika, who she falls back on for most of the little problems she has. Mothers are special, after all. Yuupika hopes to look like her when she grows up, even though she knows that this is impossible.

Hope this helps! :)


	9. Senpai: Part Two

A/N: PLEASE READ THIS!

This chapter is rated M! for torture and brief periods of insanity. Yuupika's mental training begins – but doesn't end. ;)

Can you identify the similarities between Yuupika's training and Obito's? What each portion of her training represents? It's all symbolic.

Thanks everyone for your reviews and continued support! I appreciate it very much!

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but if I somehow got ahold of Kishimoto's will and made a few small changes, then…

* * *

Yuupika wanted to draw. Paint. Express. Out of the blue, she realized that her hand was so much steadier than it had been in her past life and taken up in a fit of inspiration and wonder, she infused her chakra into ink, graphite, charcoal, pencil, watercolors, and put her imagination to the test on archival paper. It was morning on an odd day, Obito had run off to tend to some emergency (probably in Kiri), saying he was going to be back by late evening and she delighted in more time to rest before her new training regime. Yuupika meandered into her lab with no real objective in mind – she wasn't supposed to attend lessons with Orochimaru until noon. So, with just a few minutes shy of six hours time to spend, she had started to browse some old schematics lying around. The detail on the depiction of the contraption was quite intricate and flowing, unlike the rough, abstract quality of sketches she used to make and – _oh. I have become quite good at this, haven't I?_ Her mind fluttered around the sudden thought and she was reminded of art like this once upon a time, such scenes so fluid and emotional that she was not ashamed in how tears came to her eyes. For the first time in all her 27 years, she had established a rooted connection with lines on paper, images and words that struck her soul.

Later, she discovered a ticket on the windshield of her car for overstaying her welcome at the parking meter.

Yuupika nearly scowled at the memory and began to gather what materials she had, tottering with two armfuls down to the 5th floor, a large and white-walled room. The whole open expanse made her feel small and insignificant in comparison and for a brief moment, she truly relaxed – here, the world did not rely on her. Perhaps here, lacking the presence of a human touch or mirrors, she could see herself as Rosse again. She spread out her paper and touched her pencil it to the first time.

Hours went by.

Rosse didn't think in this universe of emptiness and white, letting her mind remember what she once saw and her hands recreate it slowly, like the way a baker kneads his dough or the way a singer spins a tune. Somewhere between the black streaks on white, color marring her pale skin in sweeps and smudges, breaths amplified by the silence in an almost intimate way, heat brimming just beneath her fingertips, she came to the epiphany that art was so much more than what her blind eyes had once perceived. Rosse didn't know why, but without speaking, her throat ached and her breathing came out in shudders, curious tears stiring the ink of the picture in front of her – the arm of a man dropping a kunai. She dare not put her hands back to the page.

With trembling motion, she pushed it away and striking orange hair flashed like neon behind her eyelids as she dipped her brush once again in substance with a red lable and pressed it against the last paper. This time, in the elegant cursive of her native English language that she had used in years, she flowed through –

 _'Can we know the sound of forgiveness'_

Rosse fell onto her back and like a ton of bricks, exhaustion and hunger came tumbling into her consciousness. _Forgiveness. Is there even such a thing here? In this world, how can we be so desensitized that muder is common practice and yet ache so much when a loved one is lost? What does it mean to be a shinobi? Such fierce creatures they are and yet so fragile…_ Her stomach growled with all of tenacity of a lion. _They love like children, steadfast and strong. Is that why the pain is so much? It's far more than one person could ever bear, I've seen the way it twists and gnarls the soul._ Rosse was faced with the reality of her situation in a way she never fathomed. _I have lost too, haven't I? In this strange, unfamiliar land, I am an outsider. I belong to a world much different than this and I – I will never see it again. I'm so…_

" _Lonely_." She whispered in foreign tongue, the sound hardly even above an audible level. And it stung like a thousand needles of lightning because there was nobody and nothing to blame. She didn't even know if she could blame herself. _What is there to forgive? How can one begin to let go without even a modicum of closure or certainty?_ She palmed her torso. _There must be a hole in my chest…I think I am beginning to understand them, these shinobi. To avoid this feeling, they will pour all of their emotion onto the object or person of blame and it festers a deep, fiery hatred to combat the ocean of sorrow. Loving…loving is difficult. Hating is so easy – clean. I have this grand depth of knowledge and in turn, an infinitely grander responsibility to act upon, I know. I know that I need to change it but what should I do, Yahiko? Where do I even start? How do I stop the endless cycle? I want to do this, I want to prevent all the unnecessary slaughter, I want to protect every man, woman, and child from all the horrible things that are destined to come, but I need you to tell me what to do!_

There was silence in the room and the shouting of her thoughts eventually died to nothing but faint murmuring.

 _Yahiko…I think I'm starting to see…_

 _Desire is not enough._

Slowly, surrounded by her recreations, Rosse drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 _The heart monitor beeped loudly in the terse silence of the hospital room and Rosse's throat had never been more infinitely dry, her tongue more infinitely inable to produce words, her brain more infinitely lost and dumb like a child's. Her clammy hands gripped a weak, pale one, who's skin was dry and rough as sandpaper, taking on an unearthly hue._

 _"Ro, my dear, you must let go." The speaker's frail voice cracked and interrupted the static tension running around, making the woman jump. She gripped even more fiercely just to spite death, unwilling to do as her mother headed._

 _"I don't want to." Was her automatic reply, feeling a guilty tingle in her chest as she spoke. Her mother laughed, all stress lines and dull gaze crinkling. It wasn't mirthful._

 _"Of course."_

 _Rosse swallowed harshly, not knowing how to further the conversation. She needed to keep her talking though. Keep her lucid._

 _"It won't be long now." Her mother commented placidly, resting her head back on the the fluffed pillows behind her. Rosse didn't want it to be true, rebuking those words with no small amount of vehemence in her head._

 _"You don't mean that." She countered._

 _"But I do. I want to. You need to let go." Her mother easily shot back and Rosse idly admired the dainty looking woman who she had gotten all her tough mettle from, still shooting fire in this of all moments._

 _"Mom…" She croaked and the woman's eyes softened at the turmoil that was so startlingly displayed on Rosse's face._

 _"It's okay, Ro." The long-standing nickname from her tomboyish youth did nothing to warm her. "It's okay to be sad and it's okay to be angry. Even with yourself and the truths that you hide. When you get older and you look back on this moment, I need you to know that it was okay. All of it."_

 _"M…om…"_

 _"I love you, Ro." Her mother smiled at her softly, in the way that was so uncharacteristic and closed her eyes. She let out a disturbingly long breath. And then the heart moniter's beep settled into a monotone flatline and Rosse began to shake. She hadn't even noticed that the hand she was holding had grown cold over the last few minutes until she lowered her forehead to touch it, vision so blurry and distorted that she may as well been blind and snot dripping off of her nose as she heaved in breaths._

 _In that moment, Rosse was angry – so inexplicably and insurmountably angry – because under all the pain and aching and longing and rage and frustration, Rosse felt relief._

* * *

It was late evening already when Yuupika was roused from her slumber by a poking to her arm. Blearily, wiping away the dreams of a few moments ago, she activated her senjutsu to see one two toned man looming over her.

"Zetsu?"

"You've **caused qui** te a pan **ic in A** kats **uki**." He told her as she yawned and stretched out her stiff limbs. _Have I? I don't suppose I've been down here all too terribly long…_ Yuu licked her dry lips and sucked in a leisure breath. _That dream…why would I think about such a thing, even after all this time…_

"Sorry," She mumbled, sitting up. Her back ached in pain from resting on the hard floor for so long as she looked over the works in front of her, senchaka scanning thoroughly the rest of the room. "What time is it?"

"S **ometi** me pa **st** 10." His head quirked towards her art, yellow eyes curious and confused.

"In the morning?"

"At **night**."

 _Oh._ She scratched her head sheepishly. "Well, I suppose I should be heading back then."

"N **o ne** ed." He began to sink into the ground. " **Y** our fa **ther** is **approa** ching." With that, Zetsu disappeared. _Huh? My father? Could he mean-_

" _Yuupika!_ " Pain's distressed voice echoed in the large space as he burst through the door and the girl only had enough time to turn around before she was encased in trembling arms. The whole of the man's chakra was jumpy and erratic as he held her tight to his chest, one hand cupping the back of her head.

"T-Tou-san?" She squeaked out, bewilderment in every syllable. _He came looking for me? He's shaking…_

"Don't you _ever_ do that again, you hear me?! I forbid you from disappearing whenever you feel like it! Do you have _any_ idea…" He trailed off and held her tighter, pulling her onto his lap. Yuupika numbly lifted her hands up to clutch his cloak in a weak grip, stunned beyond all words that she could fathom. _Nagato?_ The tall man shifted and tucked his hand underneath her knees, then stood to his full height, still holding her as if death himself would dare try to wisk her away. He was silent as he carried her out of the room after casting a sidelong glance at her archival pages on the floor. "You should focus on your training." He told her in a much calmer tone. Yuupika didn't know what to make of it. She wasn't sure how to answer and so she didn't and there was only the sound of his footsteps as he carried her back up the winding stairs to the kitchen, where she was snatched into the much slimmer embrace of her mother who lectured her with the ferocity of a raging storm. Yuu half heartedly listened, avoiding the harsh and disapproving glare that Kakuzu was sending her way.

Pain caught her attention from across the room, where Juzo and Sasori were arguing about one thing or another and Orochimaru was rubbing his forehead irritatedly. It was strangely quiet for a moment in her mind as rinnegan held amber, before discomfort seized up her nerves and she turned away into Konan's bosom. When she glanced back, he was not there.

* * *

"Do you believe in forgiveness, Shishou?" Yuupika fiddled with her pencil, doodling idly on the page in front of her as Orochimaru read through an essay she had just procured.

"Depends." He drawled disinterestedly, keen eyes analyzing her work. Yuu drew small Uzumaki swirls on the upper corner of the sheet, sighing quietly. _Who am I kidding? He's completely rooted in his ways._

"Well, maybe everyone deserves another chance…" She muttered.

"Depends." He repeated, flipping the paper. "I will never be able to return to the Leaf Village. Forgiveness, although I do not desire it, will never be given to me." Yuupika considered this, once again surprised at his awe inspiring ability to multitask. He was a murderer on all accounts and a detestable human being with no moral compass and an unhealthy obsession for knowledge – but he was her shishou and he had also done some good in the name of justice.

"That may be true…but maybe you don't need to be forgiven by the Leaf Village. Maybe just one person is enough." Yuu rested her head on her unoccupied hand and swung her legs under the table, waiting patiently to observe his reaction. The snake glanced at her in a bit of confusion and nonchalant inquiry, and she had no doubt that he was preparing to dissect that train of thought.

To her surprise, he chuckled. "I do not wish to be forgiven. Not even by one person. I feel no remorse for my actions. Everything I have done has been a means to an end that I hope to achieve." It was then that she understood that he wasn't particularly invested in her opinion, nor did he see any value in the subject of their conversation.

"Well, I forgive you." Yuu pouted childishly, in an effort to make a point. This was a serious topic, damnit! Orochimaru quirked an eyebrow disbelievingly, humoring her.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He set down her essay gingerly, changing gears like a professional. "Although your syntax is of excellent quality, I do believe that your diction could be improved on. Your use of literary devices is subpar. Were you distracted when you wrote this? I have seen much better work from you."

The girl shrugged and dropped her pencil, letting it roll on the table a short distance. "I've just been thinking lately, shishou. What's stronger than desire?"

Orochimaru blinked. "I'm not quite sure that is an appropriate topic to be discussing at your age." Yuu scowled at him.

"That's not what I mean!" _Why does everyone always think the worst?!_ "I mean…" She sighed. "I mean mentally. If you want to do something, but that's it. You just want to do it."

The sannin pursed his lips in a moment of deliberation, tapping his chin softly with a long finger. _He'd probably be a very accomplished pianist._ "Ambition," He finally decided. "Ambition is stronger than desire. It is a relentless drive, bordering on necessity."

"Isn't that technically obsession?" She questioned. _It would definitely explain his actions._

The sannin chuckled again and shook his head. "No," He chided with a smile, as if speaking to a child. In a way, he was. "Obsession is the point at which you lose rationality chasing after a certain thing. Ambition is the point at which you will do anything to achieve your goals, using your brain and abilities. Desire? Well. Desire is just an interest. If you want to succeed in all your endeavors, _desire is not enough_."

Yuupika almost choked on her own spit. _He…! Those words!_ Orochimaru reached over with an amused expression and patted her back a few times to help end her coughing fit. When she calmed down, the man sat back in his chair and leisurely crossed his legs.

"Do you understand, Yuupika?" His slitted orbs roamed over her face as she nodded. "Good. Now, I was hoping to continue delving into chakra debilitating poisons, but after some careful rumination, I've decided we should pour more efforts to our natural lighting issue." Yuupika perked up at that.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing not too long ago."

"Good that we've reached an agreement then. I have an idea." Yuu gestured for him to continue. "Perhaps by researching the elements that make up our sun instead of trying to combine elements known to generate heat and sequentially studying their effects, we can recreate a smaller, artificial copy of what we already have." Yuupika blinked.

 _Oh._

"I have an answer to that." She spoke blandly, blessing all that was holy for her past life's previous investments in education and cursing herself at the same time for not seeing this sooner. Orochimaru leaned forward, giving her his avid attention. "Well, I have a running theory that humans are made up of the same elements as stars – hypothetically, one could say that we were made of stardust, but that's a bit of a stretch. In various percents, we are composed of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. These account for over 97% of the mass of the human body. These are quite abundant in the center of our galaxy-" The sannin held up his hand and she stopped.

"Does this knowledge stem from that satellite you launched some months back? Is this the way that you are gathering such information? I certainly have never heard of such things." _Ah. That's right. This world isn't so scientifically advanced yet._

"Yes," Yuu easily lied and he nodded, satisfied. She continued. "In their base state, tiny particles bond together to form hydrogen and helium. As time goes on, young stars form when clouds of gas and dust gather under the effect of gravity, heating up as they become denser. At the stars' cores, ranging in temperatures of over 10 million degrees celcius, hydrogen and then helium nuclei fuse to form heavier elements – this is a reaction I call nucleosynthesis. This reaction happens all the time as lighter elements are converted into heavier ones. Relatively young stars like our sun convert hydrogen to produce helium. Once they run out of hydrogen, they begin to transform helium into beryllium and carbon. As these heavier nuclei are produced, they too are burnt inside stars to synthesise heavier and heavier elements. Different sized stars play host to different fusion reactions, eventually forming everything from oxygen to iron. During a supernova, when a massive star explodes at the end of its life, the resulting high energy environment enables the creation of some of the heaviest elements, including iron and nickel. The explosion also disperses the different elements across the universe, scattering 'stardust' which make up planets like ours and our bodies*."

Orochimaru stared at her intently, eyes wide. "That…is some incredible information." He managed after a moment. "I see you have not been idle in your studies."

"No, I have not." Yuu smiled at him placidly. "I think we have finally come across our answer." He smirked, clasping his hands together.

"I believe we have."

* * *

Obito must have been glaring holes in her head. Massive, massive holes. As-big-as-the-galaxy kind of holes. And Yuupika was rightfully ashamed of herself. Orochimaru was confused as a bumble bee in the desert and Pain was sighing in blatant exasperation.

Backtracking, she had not expected her father to approach Obito on the situation when Orochimaru and herself had talked to him about it, hoping for confidentiality. Yes, they were planning to recreate a miniature sun. Perhaps maybe over an ocean so no civilization would be harmed. That would be ideal. But never in _a thousand years_ had she suspected that Pain would ask Obito if the test could be conducted inside his pocket dimension. And so, the secret that she had desperately been trying to hide for years had come to light.

Orochimaru was her shishou.

And Obito was _pissed._

"Madara Uchiha…? Still alive…?" Orochimaru repeated lamely, blinking in rapid succession at the masked man in front of him and the sharingan that was blazing in unrivaled contempt. Obito ignored him.

"I must speak with my apprentice." The Uchiha wasted no time catching her arm in a death grip and transporting them out of existence, to a place that she was very familiar with. He then let go of her abruptly and began to pace. Yuupika was at a loss. What could she say? She told him that she wouldn't even associate with Orochimaru, and yet, there she was, learning dutifully under him for almost 3 years. She had kept it under his nose the whole time. She lied to him. It was a big, fat lie too. How could she repair that broken trust? She loved her senpai…

"Madara-se-"

 _Slap!_

She suddenly found herself staring to the side, her neck twisted unnaturally as heat and pain lanced across her face. It was just as she remembered, his big and warm hand resting on her cheek for merely a second – but that touch had not been affectionate. That touch had been associated with pain. He slapped her.

Usually, she gets hurt every time they spar and the physical pain was something that she could bear, even something that she accepted gladly if it meant that she would grow stronger. But this kind of pain…it was stinging all across her nerves, like her heart had suddenly sped up and she could feel it beat intimately in every part of her body, her stomach chewing itself and shrinking until she felt empty inside. The wet embrace of tears trickled down to her chin, falling off the line of her jaw there. The thoughts in her mind became hazy, dream-like in the face of the sudden and sheer panic that she felt. This was not how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to love her and care for her. Did he not anymore? Yuu heaved in shaky breaths and held back the urge to sob. When she turned back to him, Obito was standing in front of her, hands on his hips and maskless expression twisted into an enraged scowl.

"You directly disobeyed my orders." He seethed. "I specifically told you not to get involved with that sannin! And now look what he has done to you." The man grabbed her hair by it's underside and lifted it up. "Put your hand there." He commanded. Slowly, with trembling fingers, she felt along the back of her neck – and came across a small bump on her skin, her senchakra showing her the raised hairs there and the just barely noticeable hole. _Just big enough to be a…syringe?_ Her lips parted in a disbelieving gasp. Obito dropped her locks and rubbed his forehead.

"If I had to guess, I would say that he has taken samples of your spinal fluid recently." _W-What…? How is that possible? When did he even…?_ "This is why I warned you to stay away from him."

"W-Well, he must have had a good reason…" She sputtered, still feeling along her skin in shock and racing through her memories.

"And so he has poisoned your mind too?" He snarled. "Well, that is fine. We have already started mental training, I see no reason now why we can't accelerate your learning in light of these new truths." That stung more than Yuupika thought it would.

"Until I am done with you, all other training shall be halted. I will teach you as my mentor taught me."

* * *

The first command Obito gave her was that she was not allowed to leave his pocket dimension. She was granted two meals a day and a bath each week. These were what Obito called 'standard torture conditions,'. Zetsu was the one to deliver most of her basic needs, often coming once in the morning to deliver her breakfast and her waste bucket and once in the evening to deliver her dinner and replace her waste bucket. At the beginning of each seven day cycle, he came with a large basin of water and a bar of soap that she was allowed fifteen minutes with.

The loneliness was almost unbearable.

She presumed that Zetsu was forbidden to talk to her so she began talking to herself. About small things, really. What the weather was like outside, how she missed her cozy bed, how everyone was fairing without her. She practiced her taijutsu while holding a conversation with the emptiness, poked and prodded at her own skin to remember a human touch, sang out into the darkness to hear the echoes that it sent back to her.

Yuupika began to realize after the second week that she was quite spoiled. She tried to find her happy place, a distant dream of Konoha that she hadn't had the need to go back to in all of her almost seven years in this world. She found it – but she didn't find it because she realized that the place of grass and trees and idle breezes was not what she remembered. It was different, somehow. Duller. She could no longer recall the small details about it and that simple fact frightened Yuupika so much that she shut the meadow into the back of her mind. Obito's dimension seemed the quietest place in the world.

Yuupika laid on her back through the evening on the sixth day of the third week and heard her heartbeat. More like, the blood rushing in her veins and the sloshing of the tasteless porridge in her stomach and the groaning and creaking of her bodily systems and her bones and wondered when her hearing had improved so drastically. Her senchakra wavered and faded away and in the darkness she saw all manner of objects floating by in her vision, the most bizzare of shapes and faces and people as she cycled through countless odd scenarios and colors faded to black and white in her head. She heard her own breathing accelerate and her lungs contract and her heartbeat speed like an Olympic runner and her brain was registering that she must have been hyperventilating but Yuupika stayed on the ground.

 _This is it, this is my breaking point._

Zetsu wouldn't be back until the morning of the seventh day and that was the only thought in her head as her body started to convulse and arch and beyond such a feeling of drowning and choking and weird panic that complimented her inner calm, she couldn't remember a thing.

When her eyes opened once more, the first thing she registered was the disgusting stench of urine and she deduced right away that she had let loose her bladder in her panic attack. Her nose seemed to have become overly sensitive as her first deep breath was accompanied by a body-wrenching gag and subsequently, she vomited all over the floor next to her. Yuupika collapsed onto the ground again, fingers twitching violently. Her pulse was erratic in her ears and the burn of acid in her throat made her cough. Yuupika lifted up her shirt and covered her mouth with it, lessening the horrid smell and activated her senjutsu. To her right was two bowls of porridge and glasses of water. _So…the seventh day is already over?_ She sighed in relief.

By the middle of the fourth week, she was convinced that Obito had forgotten about her. _Desensitization – is this what he meant? Disenchantment with reality?_ She was usually a very strong woman. And it was probably only her 30 years of past experience that kept her from going insane. No one could stand to be alone for so long. No one. So, she fabricated a little friend in her head. A tiny girl that looked just like Yuupika but had the personality and mental faculties of a regular child her age – probably who Yuupika would have been if Rosse hadn't taken over her body. They talked and they talked about all manner of stupid things and finally, the silence was bearable because she would lay down on the floor and recede into her mind for as long as she possibly could and spend time with her innocent friend.

Rosse entertained herself like this, even though she could hardly hear the girl's voice over the noise of her own body systems, and a subconscious thought passed that she had finally begun to hallucinate. The fifth week came and went and she stayed motionless on the floor, the food and drink piling up beside her and the reek of bodily waste burning her nose.

"Well, you know, there's an edge right there." Yuupika told her one day. Rosse came to half awareness in her mind and looked over to the side of Obito's dimension, where the block of hard concrete ended to expansive black space. "What's on the other side?"

"I don't know." Rosse responded.

"Maybe you could go check it out? I'm scared." The woman laughed.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go check it out." Rosse rolled her weak body over and over again until her shoulder teetered on the edge and she peered down into the empty space below, where no chakra could be found.

"Go check it out." Yuupika urged softly.

Rosse rolled.

There was weightlessness and peace for all of three seconds before a strong hand grabbed her forearm and yanked her out of motion with a jarring pain to her shoulder and Rosse's senjutsu sharpened immediately to see the disgruntled look on Zetsu's face as he hauled her back up onto to block. He placed her down near the various bowls of porridge and sighed, every rustle of fabric of his cloak like the booming of shouts in a mountain range in her ears.

"I wi **ll hav** e to i **nform** **Madar** a-sama **of t** his n **e** w de **velopm** ent. Stay **put**. D **o yo** u under **stand**?" Rosse blinked at him, almost uncomprehending that she could hear his incredibly loud voice for the first time in what seemed like forever. It was almost foreign. And he touched her arm. What had that felt like? It'd been so long since… She looked down at her limb and stared at it in silent wonder and Zetsu stayed for just a moment more before he was pulled out of existence. Rosse lied back on the concrete and breathed, listening to her body systems work in steady tandem.

When Zetsu came back, Obito accompanied him and she was hoisted up and stripped before being gingerly placed into a basin of warm water. Obito washed her limp body and massaged shampoo into her knotted hair and dressed her in clean clothing while Zetsu cleared out the space she inhabited for six despairing weeks.

Obito set her on a wooden chair and the two left.

In the next month, Rosse watched Obito mutilate all her beloved members of Akatsuki every day, for hours upon hours in endless ways. They were tortured, maimed, dismembered, skinned, and then torched at the end of each session, the smell of burning flesh and intestines hanging off her as the pile of bodies in the corner grew. Rosse knew they couldn't have been anything more than Zetsu clones, but her mind was screaming at her to do something, to save them as they were crying for help, to kill the man who dissected them so mercilessly and made her watch, tied to the wooden chair near the end of the room. Rosse seethed and cried and screeched out into the silence and her brain ached so badly in her head that it felt like it would explode and pink matter would come dripping out of her nose and it would all finally be over. It would finally be over. But Obito had raised high walls on the concrete block so she couldn't run and jump off the edge and her chakra control wasn't so good enough yet nor her chakra pools all that big enough yet to climb over them. She bent and broke the chair several times and prayed by the scorched corpses to Kami and pulled her hair until her scalp stretched and beat the wall with her fists, kicked, punched, assaulted with all the rage she had inside of her and all the hot betrayal that she felt, just hoping that it would break.

But it never did.

Then came the survival period.

Obito dropped her into the desert for three weeks. He dropped her into the snow for three weeks. He dropped her into the swamp for three weeks. He dropped her into the mountains for three weeks. He dropped her into the tundra for three weeks. He dropped her into the rainforest for three weeks. He dropped her into the woods for three weeks. He dropped her into the savanna for three weeks.

Finally, there was something other than the silence and the screams. At first, she felt alive and embraced by the creations of nature that chirped, rustled, mewled, and buzzed. She felt so lucky to be free from that place of torture. But there was no civilization around, she quickly realized and so this was where her theoretical knowledge was put to the test. Rosse knew all about adaptation and survival in her head but she felt so different when she had to learn them – like she was looking at the world through some lense, somebody else's eyes because there was just no way that _Rosse_ had done these things, hand bathed her hands in blood and slept without dreams of terror or grief at night. But, she did. She learned to wring the neck of a coyote and break the bones, move faster than the snake that tries to bite, spread her own urine over her body to scare away scorpions in the night, run up and jump the trees with just her feet to escape the raging bear, fling a rock so high and precise that it brings down a hawk in the sky, move in and run on top of the current of the river to catch the fish, ride the wild boar through the underbrush to make traveling quick, wrestle a snow leapord to the ground and empty the intestines to settle into the husk of skin to stay warm while she sleeps, trap the rabbit that moves faster than the light for her campfire, evade the roaring tiger who wants to eat her for lunch, and be calm throughout all of it because _damnit, she had to survive no matter what._ Through this time, she learned to reconnect with her vibrations and increase the range of her senjutsu. She was left with no choice.

She couldn't brood over the wrongs that Obito had done her, the animals of the world would not wait for her to be finished with her anger and frustration. She was small. She was weak. She was prey. But she was clever prey. She just wouldn't give up.

And then Obito placed her in Kusa, in a grass field that he had hidden a small pebble and told her to find it. In a matter of two hours, she had done it, to her immense satisfaction because she remembered how she was hopeless when she tried before, but the Uchiha was still missing. When night fell on the second day and he still hadn't shown up, Rosse ran just short of a mile to a neighboring town and slept in a scratchy bale of hay in an abandoned farmhouse. _He'll find me in the morning._

When light sifted through the cracks in the wood and warmed her face, Rosse's awareness came back to her in slow bits and as she stretched her arms above her head, a presence made itself known at her side.

"Are you taking me back now?" She asked Zetsu in a yawn, stretching out her sore muscles.

" **No**."

Rosse stilled. "What do you mean?" Her tone was ice cold and she activated her senjutsu to scowl at his blank face.

"Ma **dara-sam** a ord **ers that** you **stay** here **un** til yo **u lea** rn."

"Learn what?" She bit out, irritation laced like fire in her features. The plant man tossed her a kunai, and Rosse caught it with ease, a small bout of confusion splashing over her as she studied it. She had never been provided with a sharp weapon before. She always had to fashion something crude out of wood or rock, whether it be knife, spear, or sword.

" **You** 're a g **eni** n level, **you** sho **uld b** e able **to** man **age**."

"What? What is this? Why did you give this to me?"

When she looked back up, Zetsu was gone.

* * *

*Thank you so much, Physics . org , for providing this information.

Soooooo, did Obito die a virgin? 0.o

Part Three coming soon!


	10. Senpai: Part Three

A/N: Part Three! Weeeee! Hope you enjoy.

Can you guess what's going on in this town? Where are the children?! It's not what you think. ;)

Part Four will be the final chapter in the 'Senpai' series.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but maybe if I can just have Obito?

* * *

Rosse stared at the place where Zetsu was just moments ago and blinked.

 _Zetsu…ditched me? He ditched me in this backwater town?!_ Rosse screamed out in frustration and pounded on the dirt in front of her, stabbing it with her kunai. _I can't believe this! He actually did this to me! What is it that I'm supposed to learn here?! This is unbelievable!_

 _Wrrrrr~_

She breathed heavily out through her mouth at the sound of her stomach growling and dislodged her kunai from the ground, standing to her full height. _That's right – I haven't eaten in two days. I…I need to go get some food before I can properly assess this…situation._ Rosse dusted herself off and tucked her weapon into the fox-skin pouch wrapped around her thigh. Lifting up her shirt, she tore the bottom half evenly to leave her toned abdomen exposed and wrapped the scrap of cloth around the upper part of her face to hide her senjutsu markings. The girl smoothed down her hair and picked out the stray straw strands before heading out of the barn and expanding her senchakra. _Okay…so the main town doesn't seem too far from here. If I run, it'll only take me a minute or so, but I don't really wanna draw any attention to myself more than I have to. Obito has to come back for me some time. He can't just leave me here._ Rosse coated her feet with a minimal amount of chakra to keep rocks from lodging themselves into her skin as she walked, a natural reaction after her time in the wilds. The trees down the dirt path were sparse and the underbrush wilting from lack of water, if she had to guess, wind brushing her cheeks pleasantly.

 _What am I supposed to learn here anyway? I don't understand what his reasoning could be. Is there a shinobi here? Someone who can take me under their wing? Is…is Tsunade here or something? Does he want me to get my eyes fixed?!_ She shuddered at the thought. _I don't need my eyes. I'm just fine without them. He has to know that. So what is it that's so special about this place?_

Rosse trudged into town, leaning towards the edges of the road as to stay out of the dwellers' way. They were mostly elderly folk, she noticed, wrinkled and stern-faced like they had been working their whole life. And perhaps they had. She frowned as one of the younger men in hunter's gear directed his focus on her suddenly and began to weave through the crowd towards her. She stiffened imperceptibly and held back the intense urge to break his wrist when he grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her to face him.

"What's a little girl like you doing here, hm? Haven't seen you around. Lost?" His voice was gravelly and accusing and Rosse was just a bit confused at his treatment of her. _What, are children not allowed here? Is this guy the police or something?_

"Yes, sir." She answered in the sweetest voice she could manage. "I'm blind, so I can't get around well." He quirked a brow at her and lifted her arm a bit more, scanning her body with suspicious eyes.

"You're quite fit for some blind peasant." His fingers tightened on her forearm, almost to the point of bruising and she couldn't quite keep the annoyance off her face.

Suddenly, a large hand landed on her shoulder from behind and belatedly, she realized that she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. A man stood at her backside, frowning deeply at the other in front of her.

"She's with me, Genji. She lives in the woods." He said, his voice much deeper and sterner as he glared. Genji scoffed, dropping her arm.

"She'll go back to where she came from if she knows what's good for her, Kazuki." Genji warned with another glance towards Rosse before he stalked off. The man behind her, Kazuki, removed his hand from her shoulder and bent down to her height. He smiled, and straightaway, the stressed lines of his face curved cheerfully.

"Sorry about that!" He chirped, his tone much lighter and disarming than before. "It's a bit tense around here, as you can see. Why don't you come with me and we can chat somewhere else?" Rosse immediately brushed his chakra with hers, gauging it's level to be no more than a regular civilian's and grazed over his rather skinny figure before nodding and taking the hand he offered. _What's up with this place?_ They strolled some few minutes towards the other side of town, where the residential area seemed to be and turned down a bystreet, entering a rather small house from a side door. Inside, an older woman sat knitting, but as soon as she turned and laid eyes on Rosse, she bolted up from her chair.

" _A child?!"_ She hissed in seeming disbelief. "Where did you get this?" Kazuki shushed the woman, and ushered Rosse towards the table, pulling out a seat for her. The girl sat down cautiously, actively scanning the room for threats. _Well, they're both underweight and have civilian chakra levels…I can take them, if need be._ Kazuki sat down next to her and gave her a calculating stare.

"On the street, Mibi-baa-chan. Where she really came from is something we have yet to learn." He said slowly and Rosse scrunched her eyebrows beneath the cloth. _He wants to know about me. But…he could be working with that other guy._

"My guardian is away for a little while. He told me to stay here until he comes back." She told them, twisting the truth a bit. Kazuki sighed, rubbing his forehead with bony fingers.

"So, it's safe to say he either didn't know better or he abandoned you."

" _What_? Why would you say that?" Ro leaned forward in her chair, her heartbeat picking up just a bit. Obito had to come back for her sometime. She still had things to reinvent and that test to create a miniature sun and who was going to hang up all her artwork?! She still had to introduce herself to the nations! _Kaa-san wouldn't let him leave me here._ The woman Mibi tensed across the rickety table.

"This town is…" He sighed. "Never mind." He turned to Mibi. "We can't let her back out on the streets, baa-chan…"

"Well, she certainly can't stay here." She snapped, gaunt face pinching in displeasure.

"She can't be more than 8 or 9!" Kazuki argued. "I won't allow…can you, in good conscious, send her back where…?" Rosse observed their stiff body language and the way his speech patterns alluded to something unknown – something bad, she guessed, bad enough to make Mibi reconsider. The woman's eyes softened and she gripped her yarn with a hard gulp. "We'll just have to make it so they have no opportunity." The man stood abruptly and approached a large vase resting on top of a corner table – and promptly tipped it over. The ceramic piece wobbled and fell to the floor, shattering into pieces loudly as Mibi shrieked in outrage.

Rosse was frozen in shock. _What the hell?!_ Kazuki turned to her. "I hope you're strong." _What…does that even mean?_ Seconds later, there was a knock on the wooden door and Kazuki went to answer it, revealing more men in hunter's garbs.

"Is everything alright?" The taller one asked, eyes zeroing in on Rosse. "A child."

"Yes." Kazuki shifted a bit so their view of her was blocked. "She tried to steal baa-chan's vase, but ended up knocking it over. She'll be working in the fields until she can pay it off. I trust that isn't a problem?"

The tall man looked a bit disgruntled as he responded, "I'm sure you know there are faster ways for her to-"

"No." Kazuki interrupted firmly, much to the man's displeasure. "Not yet." The man nodded slowly before backing away, sending one last glance over his shoulder at Rosse before leaving with his partner. Kazuki sighed as he closed the door and faced them again. "What's your name?" He asked tiredly.

 _Now isn't that a loaded question? I can't give them my real name – Yuupika, or Rosse. He could be deceiving me into letting my guard down._ Her senjutsu drifted to inspect the flower pot just outside the window, where bright camilias waved in the breeze. "Tsubaki." She replied. Kazuki nodded.

"Honey?" Rosse whipped around to see a tall, oval-faced woman leanining on the door frame, holding her – _oh. She's…_

"Yuri-chan! You shouldn't be up out of bed!" The man zipped over to her, sandals crunching the ceramic shards and hands fretting over her frame. She laughed, like tinkering waterfalls and sweet rain.

"I'm fine, darling. The baby is fine." She patted her swolled stomach gently and turned to Rosse with a smile. "I heard such a commotion out here, is this little one the cause?"

Rosse tipped her head in greeting. "I'm Tsubaki. Pleased to meet you." Yuri hid a giggle behind a dainty hand.

"So polite, too. I suppose you're also the one who made this mess." She pointed down towards the broken vase on the floor and Rosse was glad that she didn't get a chance to answer because it probably would have been something harsh.

"No, that was me." Kazuki interjected, scratching his wild hair. Yuri cocked her head with a confused expression, small lips pursing. "They were going to…I couldn't let it happen, so…I did this." The woman nodded in understanding, although Rosse was still confused as ever.

"She'll be working in the fields then?" Kazuki nodded.

"What is going on here?" Rosse finally asked, standing to her feet. The adults in the room all looked away from her, mouths pressing into thin lines. _What the hell? What could they be hiding? I deserve to know!_

"You said you're waiting for your guardian, right?" Mibi inquired gingerly and Ro nodded. _What about it? Why does that matter?_ "Well, this is the only way you'll survive until he comes back." The old woman's spine straightened and her eyes flashed like hardened steel. "We're looking out for you." _What…?_

Night fell fast and cold settled into the house, so Kazuki set down blankets and a straw-fulled pillow for her near the fireplace that he lit and told her to get a good rest after cleaning the vase shards.

"Why?" She asked, curling up in the rough fabric and privately reveling in the feel of a cushioned couch after months of hard dirt and tree branches. It didn't even matter that it felt like just a bunch of uneven lumps, her body willingly sank into it.

"It'll be a long day." He whispered as he stoked the fire with another piece of wood. "They won't go easy on you because you're young."

"Who?"

He grimaced and stood, calling back lowly as he walked away, "The Kawatake Gang."

* * *

 _She stared into the reflective water of the stream as it trickled down south, studying the mud caked on her face and arms and the small chip in her front baby tooth that had started to wiggle. Clouded eyes stared back at her and lean muscles flexed as they came up and splashed the relection with a clenched fist, distorting the girl that was there. She felt along the moss bandage on her chest with wet fingers and breathed a heavy breath. She felt dirty and hungry and angry, but the mud smeared over her body masked her scent and she was only feeling so worn because her wound took so much energy to heal. Damn shinobi's advanced healing, for just this once. She fingered the fox-skin pouch on her bruised thigh and gripped a dull, stone kunai that she had fashioned from a particularly large rock on the bay of this same stream and tucked it into her hair for easy access. She took another deep breath._

 _And then she screamed with all the fire in her soul, so loud that her sensitive ears rang and it echoed throughout the jungle like an enraged battlecry, the birds taking off in flight and chirping day insects overpowered into silence. There was a moment of all quiet before a roar as full and tall as the mountains answered, the shaking of trees and paws pounding on the dirt sending vibrations like a thousand thunder claps back to her. She tensed and fell into stance as the object of her anger came closer, snarling back at the tiger that burst through the underbrush as it snarled at her and the sinew underneath it's sweaty coat drew tight in preparation. Slitted, predatory eyes addressed her in fury and cautiousness alike, even though the small girl stood low above four feet. The tiger growled harshly, claws digging into the ground as it bent at the joints to lunge. She willed chakra to surge through her body, soaking herself to the bone in it._

 _Rosse gripped the spear in her hand, and with one last bellow that promised wrath and vengeance, she charged._

* * *

When morning came, Rosse awoke to the chirping of birds outside and the call of a rooster and she slowly stretched out. _So, today is the day that I begin working in the fields. Is this what I'm supposed to do? Help these people? I don't really understand…_ She reached into the pouch on her thigh and fingered the gem of the necklace Kakuzu gave her all those years ago. It's original cord was lost after an incident with a tiger in the jungle, but she fastened it onto a strip of leather and kept it safe in her pocket once she retrieved the jewel from the belly of the beast. Rosse pressed a palm to the fading scar that she knew was on her chest, where the tiger's claw had just barely grazed her and ripped off the keepsake. _I would do anything to keep this thing safe._

 _Is this what I'm supposed to learn here? The value of human life? Obito is always so damn cryptic._

"Tsubaki?" Rosse activated her senchakra at the sound of Kazuki's voice and sat up in her makeshift bed. "Oh, you're awake. Good. We leave here in 30 minutes, so be ready." The girl nodded in understanding and slipped off the couch, making her sheets with ease of practice. _The fields today…I wonder what we'll do out there._ She made her way through the small building towards where she saw Mibi leave an area filled with steam, which she deduced was a bathroom. She stepped into it, eyebrows raising at the set of small clothes on the wooden counter by the sink that immediately caught her attention. Baggy pants, a sleeveless tee and even undergarments. They looked to be slightly bigger than she was, but…where did they come from? Whose were these? What happened to the kid they belonged to? Ro frowned, but shook her head of those thoughts, deigning to ask later as she stepped into the shower and turned the knob with no markings on it. She was expecting cold water, as she was used to by now, but was pleasantly surprised when it came out hot, relaxing her sore body. _How odd. You'd think resources around this kind of town would be scarce. Heated water is a commodity…_ She decided to ask about that later as well as she washed herself with generic soap and eased the tangles out of her hair.

When light broke the darkness of the sky and sent pale green rays billowing over the clouds, Ro accompanied Kazuki and Mibi in the morning traffic of bodies towards the west side of town, earning a plethora of perplexed and shocked stares along the way. Rosse had never been all that ashamed of her body or age, but the way the adults and elderly alike eyed her, she felt as though there were a hundred hands crawling up her skin and her cheeks were flushed. Nearly 37 years of acceptance and encouragement had not prepared her for this. The gangsmen in hunter's garb ushering everyone along the road paid avid attention to her and every small twitch she made. _Kawatake, hm…? So, this bandit gang runs this town, it looks like. But why is everyone so skittish around them?_

A rolling field of towering corn and wheat came into view and Kazuki rested a firm hand on her shoulder as he collected two large baskets from a man who looked just about ready to kick the bucket, then guided her down one of the isles near the center. They walked without any words for a few minutes as she marveled at the sheer size of the place with the range of her senjutsu before he stopped her and turned towards the stalk.

"Are you really blind, Tsubaki?" He asked as he picked his first ear of corn. _Why…the curiosity about such a thing?_

"I am." Ro affirmed with a sharp nod after a moment of consternation.

"It doesn't seem like it. The way you interact with outside forces suggests you can see perfectly well, even through that blindfold." Kazuki accused on a light note, sending a loaded glance towards her. She huffed.

"My four other senses can guide me around just fine, thank you. I don't need sight."

The man's cheeks swirled with a bit of chakra. "Then show me your eyes."

Rosse bit her lip and blushed with the tide of her anger. She wasn't particularly shy about the dull and unfocused look in her orbs whenever she opened her lids to look at them, but she had only ever shown them to her family. Towards a stranger, even one who had housed and fed her, it just seemed…well, it made her chest stir uncomfortably. _Embarrasment._ The girl realized with a start. _I'm embarrassed of my eyes. They make me look dumb._ She groaned and slowly reached towards the tidy knot mixed in with her long hair, pulling strands as she loosened it and deactivating her senjutsu. _This is no time for self-esteem issues! These stupid hormones! This stupid tiny body!_ The cloth fell onto her hand and she turned her face in his direction, reading the vibrations in the air that told her of his screwed expression.

"I see." He uttered and she wasted no time in securing the scrap back around her head. "You have sharp senses then."

"I guess." She murmured as she picked an ear of corn. _I wish I were 30 again._ Rosse quickly steered to another topic. "So, who are the Kawatake?" Kazuki sighed, the skin around his eyes crinkling tiredly.

"They run this town," He began and Ro hummed to herself at the confirmation of her initial assumptions. "They've been here for about twenty years now, since I was young. It all started with this one man…a defected chunin from Kumogakure." Rosse froze mid-pick, though Kazuki didn't seem to notice. His gaze was far away. "He was just a teen when he arrived, but he easily overpowered all of us. Things changed drastically to what they are now and he won't let anyone leave. We can't just run anyway, our whole livelihood is here. Where else would we go? None of us have any money. This town used to be peaceful – but…"

Rosse jerked back into movement, forcing herself to continue labor as thoughts whirled violently around in her head. _A chunin?! From Kumo?! What would he be doing all the way over here? In this town? I can't go back until I learn my lesson? About what?! I couldn't possibly…Obito couldn't possibly want me to…there's just no way that…_

"His name is Jungo Kawatake. Overtime, as he recruited bandits, they became known as the Kawatake gang. They run this town. There's no getting out. You better hope your guardian comes back for you soon, Tsubaki, or else you'll be stuck here too."

"Hey, no talking! Get back to work!" A guard shouted from down the isle, glaring with all his murderous intent at the child who's limbs shook with uncertainty.

* * *

The baskets filled high with corn were collected when the sun began to set and the trek back to the small house in the residential area was long, as Kazuki and Mibi did not have stamina like Rosse. However, she had to keep a steady flow of chakra in her system to prevent sunburn, so she was worn and unsteady just the same. Yuri greeted them at the door, the smell of freshly cooked food wafting out of the humble structure.

"You all must be tired," She smiled like sunshine. "Stew is on the table."

Kazuki kissed the woman tenderly, a slim hand caressing her baby bump. "Thank you, dear."

Ro trudged inside after the others, following them towards the dining room where she had sat at just the day prior to see four steaming bowls set neatly out with silverware and glasses of water. Dinner was a quiet affair, and Rosse only half-heartedly listened to the adults as they made idle chat and talked of their days, Kazuki inquiring every so often about the child in Yuri's stomach.

"Did he kick today?" He would ask, and, "Do you think he can hear us?" was a favorite, and when he finished with his stew, he scooted closer towards Yuri and rubbed her bump in leisure circles, cooing quietly at it as she listened to a story Mibi was telling. "Oh!" He exclaimed suddenly and the old woman fell silent. "I can feel him, right here." His hand pressed just a little more into the flesh covered by a thin dress. "It's daddy, little buddy! It's daddy." Yuri smiled softly, her eyes full of love and warmth as she played with the man's messy hair. Mibi stared contently at the two, pride in her wizened features and suddenly, Rosse felt so out of place, stifled by an atmosphere that was foreign to her, but she wanted desperately to be a part of. This kind of affection and closeness was not something that she had ever experienced. The joy that an unborn child brought, the elation and anxious wonderment whilst waiting for it come out into the world…Rosse briefly wondered why she herself never had a child in her last life. She was busy beyond belief, but…maybe she could have made some time? Surely, if the feeling was something like this…

She slept restlessly that night.

* * *

Mornings were always the hardest, Rosse soon came to realize, as they always woke up early, before her chakra was fully restored and set out to immediately get to work. Picking the corn was menial work, easy by all means, but for the 10 hours that she repeatedly did the same thing whilst circulating her chakra, her arms and legs ached something fierce and her system was tired out. Now she understood why shinobi deigned to buy sunblock. Keeping a steady and minimal flow was hard work for all but the ones with absolute perfect control and even then, the usage for hours on end was exhausting. It had occurred to her on the fifth day that Obito had sent her out into this hick town to perform _d-ranks._ To serve her time like the rest of them did and do the stupid, tedious tasks that needed to get done by _somebody_ or else order would descend into chaos. Ro wasn't the most patient person in the world, but she learned to think of it as a training excerise (Rock Lee style!), to increase her reserves, her chakra control, and give just bit more mass to her muscles.

"You're such a hard worker, Tsubaki-chan!" Yuri praised her in the afternoons and the girl had trouble responding sometimes, but when she did, it was mostly the same thing.

"I do what has to be done." The pretty woman would look a bit miffed at that, but continue to praise her all the same while fluttering around the three of them worriedly.

"This is so hard!" Rosse complained on the afternoon of the tenth day as she fiddled with the yarn. Mibi had explained the process of knitting just fine to her, but for whatever reason, Rosse could not pick up the knack for it, no matter what. She pouted childishly, blowing air into her cheeks and crossing her arms.

"You look like a chipmunk, keep your back straight." The woman reprimanded. On rest days, which happened after 100 hours of work, Mibi liked to spend her time knitting and sewing clothes. The way she poised herself as she did and the nimble motions of her fingers made Rosse think that perhaps, she had not always been in this rundown place. The city of Chachubi. No so much a city anymore though, as the constant travel and wars of shinobi had ripped the area of it's past splendor.

"Where did you learn this stuff anyway?" Ro asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Mibi beamed proudly. "When I was young, I was to grow up to be a seamstress. I learned to make all sorts of clothes, weave the finest silks into beautiful yukatas and kimono. My work was far beyond what my mother and teacher had ever imagined. My natural talent would have made me famous in all the elemental nations." She boasted and Rosse cocked her head.

"Well, what happened?"

Her grin faltered a bit and settled into something nostalgic, bittersweet like lemon tea. "Life happened, Tsubaki. I always meant to get back into the art, but then I had Yuri, and well…" She hesitated. "I am content with what I do now, preparing for the child in her stomach."

"So, all these clothes are for him?"

"Well, yes." She chuckled. "I cannot accurately predict how he will grow, but if I make all sizes of clothes for him, it won't matter. I won't be around forever anyway."

Rosse frowned.

* * *

Seventeen days and Rosse realized that she wasn't returning from work anymore as tired as she remembered and she had more energy to help Yuri clean the kitchen and the dishes afterwards.

"You know, I'm thinking once the baby comes, I'll get one of those new, fancy dishwashers." She giggled, like she was telling a secret as she scrubbed a plate.

Rosse perked up. "Oh, yeah?" She hadn't seen any of her inventions in town when she really thought about it, but it hadn't struck her until that moment that people dreamed about having technology that she disregarded so easily. Besides the time spent in Obito's hellish dimension and the time spent in the wilds, she had lived around "advanced" technology all her life.

"Yeah." She sighed dreamily. "It'd make life so much easier and I'd have more time to tend to the baby! If only it weren't so expensive, though!" Her technology was expensive? "I'll have to put in a request with the boss." She murmured rather quietly. And that struck Rosse's interest.

"The boss?" She inquired without missing a beat. "You mean Jungo Kawatake?" Yuri eyed her warily, but nodded. "You need his permission?" She hesitated.

"Well-"

"Yuri-chan." Kazuki called in a firm tone from the door and the woman shrunk back into herself. "Tsubaki, why don't you help Mibi-baa-chan get ready for bed." His suggestion was a command in everything but wording and Rosse's lips pressed into a thin line as she set down her drying rag and complied. _It seems I am missing quite a few pieces of this puzzle._

Rosse tried to ask more about the subject, but after that incident, Yuri didn't let anything slip, not even the most harmless information like the man's shoe size. Not that she would know it, Rosse certainly didn't expect her too, but she wouldn't budge regardless. She wondered about it often as she worked, silent next to Kazuki, asking herself what could she have possibly missed. She analyzed the information that she had already gathered in her head, piecing it together in all the different manner of ways that she could think of, trying to make sense of the situation. This town was run by bandits and a missing nin from Kumo, but nobody was living in poverty, per say, like she would have expected. They always had food on the table, heated water, electricity, wood for the fire…it almost seemed as if Chachubi was a heavily militaristic town, guarded at all times and upheld by a strict set of rules. There was a system here. It was orderly, if a bit dull. Was this what Kumo was like? It was always described as militaristic, but the government and economy there was never explained. Even if it was, there was one puzzle piece with no matching holes, that just didn't fit in with the rest.

Where were the children?

* * *

"Do you ever wish you could leave this town?" Ro asked, cuddled into her blanket as they sat around the fire. The three adults in the room sat in contemplation for a while, the crackling flame in front of them illuminating the room and casting shadows that danced along the walls.

"Sometimes." Kazuki sighed. "The way things work here...it's not horrible, but..." He ran a hand down his face and the dullness in his eyes spoke louder than his words ever could. Rosse observed them like they were an open storybook, they way Yuri leaned into his shoulder and Mibi patted his knee, how their chakras all relayed various degrees of distress and helplessness. It was the same throughout the whole village, every callous hand and weak body radiating anxiety and strain. The girl was nonplussed in the worst way, because she felt for them in this stifling environment that they could not seem to escape from. They shouldn't have to feel that they needed to escape!

"You are strong, Tsubaki. So full of exuberance and defiance. That's why you need to leave - go as far away as you can." His mien became pained. "You should never have come here."

Ro had nothing to answer in the silence. The twenty fourth day came to a close.

* * *

Twenty seven days in and old man Jin, who handed out all the baskets in the mornings, collapsed off the side of his chair, startling everyone in the immediate vicinity. _Oh my god…_ There was quiet for a moment suspended in time before people started to cheer.

Ro almost choked on air, listening to the cries of joy resound through the crowded street as the Kawatake gang members hoisted up him up, shaking their heads when they found no pulse. Kazuki was crying tears of delight and many congratulated him as he hugged Mibi, leaving Rosse utterly confused and just a bit terrified. Someone just died! Why were these people celebrating so profusely?! Nobody paid her any mind for once as she weaved through the bodies, trying her hardest to make it to the fields. Rosse shivered, and for a moment, she wished she was back in the wilds.

On the four week mark, a new presence entered into her range. _This chakra signature…it's stronger than mine!_ Her head whipped around towards the source of it to see a man with long hair and bulging muscles at the entrance to the field, smiling…at her. Her whole body tensed as he seemed to eye her up and down with interest, smile never faltering, then proceeded to walk towards her. Rosse's mind was perfectly blank and the rushing of blood in her ears made everything else almost inaudible. Her stomach seized in panic, the panic of finally being caught, of not having a chance to run, of the probability of civilians being hurt if they were to fight, the probability of her even surviving such a thing… He was huge! He was a _chunin!_

He approached must faster than Rosse thought he should have, his steps silent and strides confident. His eyes were a swimming mixture of amusement and consideration, even as Ro couldn't move a single muscle in her body mid-pick and he stared at her for just a moment longer before tapping Kazuki's shoulder. The man turned around and exclaimed his surprise, catching the attention of everyone else down the quiet isle. Immediately, they all lowered into a bow.

"Kawatake-sama!" Kazuki addressed him when the tall man, much taller than anyone else, much taller than Rosse was comfortable with, rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Kazuki-kun. I wish happy times upon you and your family. Never forget Jin-kun's sacrifice." His voice was deep and calming, his smile friendly. He looked as harmless as any other man – not the villain Rosse had envisioned in her head. Kazuki bowed once again.

"Of course, Kawatake-sama. Thank you very much, sir."

"Hm." Jungo Kawatake sent once last glance in her direction, still stiff as a wooden board, before walking off. Rosse let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"He has a commanding presence, does he not?" Kazuki commented in a whisper, turning back to his stalk. "What a surprise that he was here, though…"

A surprise, it was indeed. Ro numbly nodded as the man's wide back disappeared from view and resumed her work.

* * *

When the next rest day came, two guards showed up at the door.

"Kawatake-sama wishes to speak with the child." Rosse tensed like cat dropped in cold water as soon as those words come out of the man's mouth.

"With…Tsubaki?" Kazuki repeated, hand clenching the doorknob deathly tight.

"The child." The man said and Kazuki nodded robotically, shifting so that they could see inside the house and to the couch that she was resting on. The girl looked up, lost and feeling just a bit more scared than she wanted to admit to herself and Kazuki urged her with a hand, eyes flashing in apology.

"Go on, Tsubaki-chan. I'll see you when you get back." _He's…letting them take me?_

Rosse stood on jelly legs, her body moving faster than her frantic brain and approached the guards, resisting the urge to run when they grabbed hold of her shoulders. Kazuki's mouth set into a panicked frown and his gaze followed her down the street as the two men at her sides escorted her, catching the interests of the folk walking around. Some of them seemed pleased, others seemed mildly entertained, and many were outraged. She walked on without thought or awareness, coming up blank on plans and escape tactics.

 _I could always just run right now. Escape and never come back, go east to the border of Hi no Kuni and just keep going until I get caught by patrol or make it to the Leaf village. I could leave right now and never ever come back._ Tempation coursed like a lovely wine through her veins. _I could meet Naruto and become apart of his life and help save the world from there, aid him however he needs on his journey. He's still a young boy who needs affection, I can give that to him. I can go. I can make it if I go right now._

But the faces of her beloved family flashed through her mind, the sound of their laughs and the memories of better times and Rosse – _Yuupika_ – could not bring herself to do it. She couldn't run away now or she would likely never see them again. Whatever it was that Obito needed her to learn out here, she would do it. She would face it if only to be with the people she loved. Leave the plot to it's own devices – she was sure that she already made a difference.

With that in mind, she marched into Kawatake's office and sat down on the chair in front of his desk with a purpose. Even though his sharp eyes made her nervous, she wanted to see her family again and get another cord for her necklace and release new products and demand a break from training so she could go relax and tour around the elemental nations that she had always longed to see. She'd get through this.

"Miss Tsubaki." He addressed her and she nearly shuddered at the fact that he already knew her name. By all means, he shouldn't. "You seem much different from the last time we met." Her cheeks flamed in a blush, but she made sure her tongue didn't stutter.

"I was different the last time we met, Mr. Kawatake."

"Ho?" He raised a brow at her. "Well, that's good. Now, answer me this – what's a little kunoichi like you doing in a village like Chachubi?"

"I could ask the same of you." Yuu held her ground, stuffing her hands between her knees to keep them from fidgeting. She sorely hoped that he couldn't sense the extent of her anxiousness. Jungo rested his head on his immensely large hand.

"Bit of a spitfire, are you? As you can see, I run a successful village here."

"Y-You're holding these people hostage." Yuupika blushed even harder at her blunder.

"Hostage?" He chuckled lightly. "No, I'm keeping them alive. Before me, this village was barely on it's own two feet. And now look at where we are – providing 13% of corn outgoing to Iwa. Isn't that an accomplishment?"

"The people hate it here." She said, raising her voice a bit on accident. His eyes narrowed marginally.

"Perhaps. But they are well provided for. There is a roof over every head. There is food on every table. There is wood for every fireplace." Jungo spoke in deliberate tones and Yuu bit her lip in rising frustration.

"So what? Living is not living if you're not happy. That's just existing."

"So you say, but no one wants to die. They will bear this 'existing' if it means they keep their lives. If they really wanted to, the villagers could leave. There is nothing holding them here. But they are well provided for in Chachubi and they know this. They may not have physical money, but there is value in the system here. It keeps them alive. Where else could they go for such security?"

"Where are the children?"

Jungo Kawatake's heavy gaze became a glare and Yuupika felt an odd sense of déjà vu, her mind flipping back to the time when she confronted Sasori in such a setting. "I called you here, Miss Tsubaki, to offer you a place in my ranks. It is a time very few and far between that I come across a shinobi that has no place to go. Of course, there are those that stop by here from time to time and stay in the business area of town, but no one has stayed quite as long as you have. It's almost as if your intentions are to stay."

Yuupika swallowed hard and licked her swolled bottom lip. "I have no intentions of staying here. My guardian told me to wait in this location until he comes back for me."

"Your guardian?" He laughed. "You mean the man with the funny mask?" Yuupika's heart nearly stopped. _He…knows Obito?_ "He's not coming back, my dear. He said specifically to me, and I quote, 'You will never see me again,'. And you know, something about the way he sounded, I believe him. So, what do you say? Will you stay in Chachubi? Join my forces? You have already experienced the quality of life that will be rewarded to you."

Yuu had to turn her face down to hide the intense emotion showing there, the hot, _hot_ betrayal and disbelief that she felt. _No. He wouldn't. He wouldn't do that to me. He wouldn't treat me like shit this whole time and drop me in the middle of nowhere to rot just because I learned under some stupid snake. He's not that petty. Obito is my senpai. He still loves me. He invested a great amount of time into me, he wouldn't just abandon me. I know what he looks like. He wouldn't just do that to me…right?_ She struggled to keep her breathing even.

 _I should have just run._

"Now, now, it's nothing to be upset about."

"What…" She strained against the tightness in her throat and fought back the raging in her head. _I still need answers._ "What happened to the children?" Her senchakra revealed the slight scowl on his face.

"The children are none of your concern. Answer the question."

"I won't join you." Yuupika told him, looking back up. The cloth around her eyes was wet in the wake of a few stray tears, but she didn't let it bother her. "What you're doing here is _evil_. These people are miserable, you're…you're basically strong-arming them into staying! If they had money, they could start new in another town, but you've made that impossible for them!"

"Evil?" He guffawed like her words were the funniest joke in the world. "How naïve. There is no such thing as _good and evil_. Those are just empty words used to justify an individual's actions. By a government standpoint, the society I have created here is perfect. There is no fighting, stealing, cheating, lying, or murdering. Everyone is well cared for. Do you see my quarters?" He waved his hand in a grand sweep. "I do not live lavishly. I take only what I need and nothing else. Everyday, I calculate numbers, process shipments and distribute goods equally among my people. I left my home village to get away from the indiscriminate slaughter and underhanded lifestyle that shinobi live. Would you consider me evil compared to them? I, who takes good care of my people through honest work, compared to they, who cheat, steal, and kill for a living? My people may not have the luxury of _choice,_ but they will never be in need for as long as they live. If they harbor desires, they need only ask. _Tell_ _me_ , Miss Tsubaki, who is really evil?"

Yuupika was at a loss for words. In a way, he was right - he truly was not evil. Jungo Kawatake had made her think. _Is that what you wish me to learn Obito? This harsh truth?_ When she finally collected herself, her voice was much quieter.

"I wish to stay in Chachubi until my guardian returns for me."

The man sighed, his plump lips settling into a slight frown. "Very well." With a crisp snap of his fingers, the doors behind Yuu opened and two guards came to stand at her sides, hands on her shoulders. "However, I'd like you to remember this, Miss Tsubaki – every action has it's consequences."


	11. Senpai: Part Four

A/N: I figured it out you guys! *cries tears of joy*

It was not the lovely fanfiction or my equally as lovely mac, IT WAS THIS PIECE OF SHIT SAFARI BROWSER. :) So sorry for posting a day late, I just got this thing and I'm still getting used to it. Thanks to everyone who PM'd me and who left a couple reviews to help! I appreciate you guys so much!

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but after I marry my billionaire husband and he dies of mysterious causes, perhaps then, I will just buy Kishimoto himself and by extension, own everything he puts claim to. :)

* * *

Yuupika sat on the couch, rubbing her forehead gingerly. It had been a week since her talk with Jungo Kawatake and the days had gone by with no incident. His last words had haunted her, however. What could he possibly mean by that? 'Consequences for every action?' Was her decision to stay here something that would affect the whole town?

Where were the children?

Yuu felt her headache intensify as Yuri sat down next to her. A dainty hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. "What's wrong, Tsubaki-chan?" Her spoke in low tones and Yuupika blessed her for it. "What did Kawatake-sama say that is stressing you so much?" The girl sighed and scanned the pretty oval face that was crinkled with worry lines. She had never seen Yuri look so old and she felt a pang of guilt in her heart knowing she was the reason why.

"Yuri-san…what do you know of mental pain?" Yuupika questioned, leaning back on the lumpy seat. She turned towards her, giving the woman all her attention as a thoughtful expression came and passed.

"Well…in my experience, there are three types of mental pain. There is the mental pain you inflict on yourself, the mental pain others inflict on you, and the mental pain you feel from those around you."

Yuu considered this for a moment, taken aback. "…I see." Her insanity, her torture, her feelings towards the citizens of this village. _How cruel was your mentor, Obito? The guilt of not being there for Rin, the torture of watching her die with your sharingan, the empathy you felt for Madara after experiencing loss like he had, forever ingrained in your memories…is this what haunts you so much? I think im starting to understand._ "Thank you, Yuri-san."

"When will I get you to stop being so formal with me? Jeez, Tsu-chan." The woman whined, elegant slant of her eyes scrunching with her pout. Yuupika giggled at the expression, as the woman was rather cute. She could easily see why Kazuki was so crazy about her.

"Yuri-chan, the water is boiling." Mibi called from the dining room and Yuri shot up.

"Oh!" She brushed off her apron and gave Yuu and apologetic grin. "Excuse me, Tsu-chan!"

Yuupika waved a hand in dismissal as the woman scurried away, holding her stomach tenderly all the while. She sighed, letting her head rest on the back of the cushion. _Obito, I think I have learned the lesson you wished me to learn. I understand…I understand why you did this to me. I'm still so pissed and I feel like I should hate you so much, but…I understand. 'A world without Rin is not a real world at all.' Isn't that what you said? Do you think I can…_

 _…_ _change that for you?_

Yuu blushed fiercely and lurched forward, burying her face in her hands. _What am I thinking? Nonsense! Now is not the time for such trivial things…_

A heavy knock on the door startled Yuu out of her musings and she saturated area with her senchakra to see a group of three guards at the door, faces solemn. _What the hell? What are they doing here?_ Kazuki shuffled in, wiping his eyes that were tired from his evening nap and approached the wooden barrier, turning the knob to open it. Yuu took idle notice for the first time that there were no locks.

"Hello? Is there a problem?" He asked, confused. Mibi and Yuri tentatively gathered near the entrance to the living room, a hint of fright lacing into their features. The girl couldn't help but share their concerns. Was this because of her talk with Jungo? Her decision? How would this affect them?

"Kazuki," The man in front spoke, his tone dead as he thrusted a folded envelope towards him. "We've come to deliver your death notice."

The reactions were immediate. Yuri let out a wail, tears seeming to burst from some well inside of her while Mibi turned to hold the woman, eyes screwed shut in pain. Kazuki stood deathly still, perspiration forming on his brow and face a picture of shock. Yuupika emulated him perfectly. Death notice?! Why did Kazuki have to die?! Was this her fault? Because she would not adhere to Jungo Kawatake's wishes? Is this his punishment to her? To punish all those around her and have her suffer in the knowledge that it's all her fault?

"B-But, my child's life has already been paid for!" He protested, gripping the envelope so hard, it folded in half. "Old man Jin died so that Mibi-baa-chan didn't have to!" _…what?_

"It is not your child's life that is unpaid. It is the girl's." The heavy, accusing eyes of the guard coming to rest on her. "You know that there is only enough food and room for 367 people at one time. When your wife goes into labor, you can either report to Kawatake-sama's office or your wife could stand in your stead after the baby is delivered and assigned a name."

"What about me?" Mibi rushed forward and pushed past Kazuki, a wrinkled hand on her chest. "Take me instead!" Desperation poured out of her like a river, but the guard just shook his head.

"Your life was paid for when old man Jin took your place. He had no descendants to give his life for, therefore, your life was secured. Of course, the girl could also sacrifice herself to uphold the peace…"

"She's just a child!" Kazuki seethed, catching the attention of the passersby. "You cannot send her to die!"

"There is always the alternative for children her age." The guard's gaze was driving holes into Kazuki, Yuupika could easily tell, so with a burst of chakra-enhanced speed, she sprinted to the door and slammed it shut. There was silence in the house in all but Yuri's sobs and Yuu pressed her clammy forehead to the door, taking in a shaky breath. Whatever was going on with the children…it couldn't be that bad, right? Maybe she could sacrifice herself and find out where they are and then bust them all out? This was all her fault anyway and Yuu…Yuu was strong. Obito's invested time in her was not a waste. She swallowed before opening her mouth to speak.

"Kazuki, I-"

"I'll take care of it, Tsubaki." His voice was surprisingly steady as he interrupted her and his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "No one is going to die." The girl turned to him, shocked. _What could he mean by that? He can't seriously be thinking of sacrificing himself! I'm the reason why this is happening, I shouldn't even be here! Why would he even think to go to such lengths…_ "Never again…" She heard him murmur as he pivoted and left to comfort his wife and Yuu changed her though process.

 _He can't be planning a revolution. Nothing like that, right? Even he himself said that Jungo Kawatake was way too strong for anyone in this town. He would slaughter them if they tried to rebel! Well, a shinobi would, but…he doesn't really fit into that category anymore…what would Jungo Kawatake do…?_ Yuu startled at the fact that the man was an unknown. She realized then just how dangerous he was. _Kazuki can't be allowed to do this…I have to think of something…_

Mibi pulled Yuu into an embrace, catching her by surprise and smoothed down her long hair. "Listen, Tsubaki." She whispered in her ear. "Below the fifth floorboard on the far left in my room is a box that contains the engagement ring my late husband gave me. Take it and in three day's time, travel over to the town just west of us and trade it for as much money as anyone is willing to pay. You are small and fast and have far more energy than I, you can sneak past the guards. Bring this money back to me and I…" She faltered a moment. "I will take care of the rest. Speak nothing of this." _What is she asking me to do? She can't possibly be thinking of...hiring shinobi, right? This is at least a B-rank mission! An engagement ring won't pay for that!_ Mibi let her go and strode away towards the couple in the dining room without a second glance.

Yuupika dropped down onto the couch once more, massaging her temples with her thumbs. _This is no good…I don't know if I can do this…I don't know if this is possible…_

 _Yahiko, Obito, help me!_

* * *

Pale moonbeams shined in through Mibi's window, the dark of the early morning covering Yuu's steps into her room. The old woman sat up in her bed and watched her as she retrieved the box from the aforementioned hidden cove, patting her head reassuringly with grim eyes.

"You move silently, Tsubaki. You…you have been trained well." Yuupika faced the floor, cheeks dusting with warm shame. "Don't worry. Just go. Our future is with you." With those whispered words, she slid open the small window beside her nightstand, just wide enough for Yuu to fit through. The girl shared one last look with the woman before crawling out, coating her feet with chakra to hamper the sound of her landing on the dirt of the bystreet. She took off in a sprint close to the walls, spreading her senjutsu to take note of where all the patrols were as she made turn after turn in the shadows.

She jumped up onto a roof near the edge of town and pressed herself to it to hide her presence from the guards down below, waiting until they had rounded two more corners before flipping off and lunging into the treeline. When she was far enough away, she surged chakra through her legs, propelling herself farther and faster than she ever had before towards the west. Her mind flashed through the cheerful demeanor of Kazuki and the lovely laugh of his wife, the nimble hands of Mibi and the beautiful, beautiful baby that would be born soon. They all needed her. She just couldn't let them down. For hour upon hour until the sun came up, she jumped, weaved and ran through the never ending woods until her senjutsu revealed the bustling town of her desire just five miles away. Yuupika rocketed off the next tree, using all of her force and will to make it as fast as she possibly could towards the outskirts, stopping on a branch that overlooked the small city in the valley below when she finally did. She wiped her forehead of sweat underneath her blindfold and spread her range throughout the whole town, covering every nook and hidden alley until she identified her target. Then she layed down to rest.

Two hours went by of recuperation, Yuu meditating on the grass with her back pressed against a sturdy trunk to support her. It was quiet, only the sounds of distant laughing and the chirping of insects accompanying her, vibrations of nature warming her skin with the sun. When she had recovered her chakra up to acceptable levels, the girl dusted her clothes, spread the sweet scent of mountain flowers over her clothes and headed into town.

Compared to it's neighbor, everything was alive and thriving in this city. It was such an odd thing to experience, different than the festivals she had attended in Ame. Laughing and good business and children her age running around and playing like children her age do – like she should be doing, but she was stuck with a burden that no one person could ever bear alone, with more responsibility than they probably would ever have in the entirety of their lives. In that moment, watching as two friends rolled around in the sand near the book shop, she felt incredible envy, wishing she could be a little kid again and not have to worry about the petrifying fate of this world. Yuupika turned away.

With a few decisive steps, she accosted the stand where a smiling jewelry merchant stood, waiting. "Excuse me, Merchant-san." She spoke, rising to her tip toes to look over the counter. The woman looked down in surprise and then grinned at her.

"Hello, sweetie. Are you lost?" Her weathered voice was kind and Yuu felt stabs of guilt for what she planned to do.

"No." She retrived the small box from her pouch and set it down on the wood, opening it for the merchant to see. Immediately, her fingers reached in to retrieve the ring and inspect it. "My baa-chan told me to sell this for as much as I can get for it."

"Hm." She hummed as the turned it over and appraised the diamond with a critical eye. "The most I can give you for this is 90,000, sweetheart. It's an older style of band, but the emerald cut is stunning and it's still in very good condition. Your baa-san was a lucky woman." She smiled and Yuu smiled back, but inside she was hurting. That was only about half of the money needed for a B-rank. When night fell, she could have to rob this honest woman.

"Okay, I'll take it." She said and the lady nodded, opening a strong box further inside to store the ring before retrieving nine bags.

"These are ten thousand each, do you want me to put them in a scroll for you?" Yuupika hesitated for a moment, honestly shocked that this small town had basic sealing scrolls before nodding vigourously. The woman laughed and retreated into the back of the stand for a few minutes before coming back with the rolled parchment in hand and giving it to her. "You keep this safe, now, you hear?" Yuu nodded and gripped the thing tight, sliding it into her fox-skin pouch and applying a tiny burst of chakra to the back of her gem to seal it in there. She palmed the precious stone as she walked away and brought it up to her mouth, leather strap and all, to stuff it in there. It was uncomfortable and tasted of sweat, but there was no way that any slippery fingers were going to rob her of her idea journal, her only sharp kunai, and that hefty sum of ryo. There was just no way.

Yuupika slipped into an alley and watched the hustle of the street until night fell and the crowds cleared, uncaring of her empty stomach. She had gone days without eating before, a matter of 12 hours was of no consequence to her. Yuu crept along the side streets as she followed the merchant back to her house, using chakra to sneak along the side of her small abode and watch as she pulled a small safe from under her bed and open it, storing her scroll of money inside. Yuu waited until the moon was high and the woman was fast asleep before cracking the window open and slipping inside. She used chakra to silence her movements, briefly mumbling an apology in her head, and swiped the whole safe from underneath the matress frame. Yuu observed the peaceful expression of the woman just a moment more before slinking back outside to use the wind of the night air to muffle the sounds of her opening it. There were various trinkets inside, probably of sentimental value only and the girl marveled them idly as she plucked the money scroll out. _Forgive me, granny. I need this more than you'll ever know._ It was an easy affair to replace the safe afterwards and skip town, sealing the scroll into the gemstome before stuffing it back in her mouth and surging full speed back to Chachubi.

 _I hope this is enough._

A few hours passed before she made it back, evading the night patrols and creeping back through Mibi's open window to find the woman waiting there, arms encasing her and silent tears wetting her sweaty hair. Yuu spit the necklace out of her mouth and willed forth the two money scrolls with her chakra when Mibi let her go, handing them to her gingerly. A quiet sob wracked the elderly woman's body as she held them to her chest.

"This is the most money I've held in 30 years." She whispered. Yuupika stayed silent. "Get some rest, Tsubaki. You've earned it."

She obeyed.

* * *

The next day was longest she had had in a while. She had not gotten a proper sleep and her chakra was certainly not up to full capacity. Kazuki had to carry her home, drenched in perspiration and breathing raggedly, happy that her cheeks were already flushed so her embarrassed blush from the odd looks she received was not obvious.

"Oh, Tsu-chan! You're filthy!" Yuri exclaimed as she was carted through the door. She gave a low grumble in response and Kazuki chuckled a bit, laying her on the couch.

"Yes, she is." He breathed a sigh of relief as he was freed from her weight and stretched his back. "Haven't seen you this tired in a while, Tsubaki." He commented and she stuck her tongue out in his direction. The resulting laughs filled the air pleasantly before the subject changed. "Quite interesting though that Daisuke sent a sick notice in today. Even the doctor confirmed it. No one has been ill around here in nearly five years."

"Daisuke who's blind in one eye?" Yuri inquired, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah. Some are saying he caught it in the night wind…hopefully we don't catch it." Kazuki muttered and Yuupika realized with a start this Daisuke was probably the one running the message to the nearest village.

"Last night was simply wicked – didn't you hear about the horse that went crazy in the stables? The tenders say the poor animal just ran off as if possessed!"

The adults considered this for a moment.

"Well, come along, Tsubaki needs her rest. She can eat her dinner later." Mibi said as she ushered the other two towards the dining room. _If only they knew what that statement really meant._ Yuu ended up not consuming any food that night, sleeping all the way into the next morning when Kazuki shook her awake, telling her to go take her shower and get ready. She complied with much more of a spring in her step, feeling her chakra almost restored. The second day of the week went by much faster than the prior.

The third was a fantastic bore.

The fourth was the same as the third.

The fifth saw Jungo Kawatake overlooking the fields as the citizens worked, eyes trained on Yuupika for an unusually long time. She felt disquieted…but ignored his presence and the stinging sensation of his gaze on the back of her head. The others didn't seem to notice, too focused on finishing up the harvest so they could start the replanting process. She was told that it was much less strenuous work. The man frowned before leaving, the crunch of his sandals on the grass resounding in her ears.

On the sixth day, a hawk circled over the village in the late afternoon for fifteen minutes, distracting all who looked up in the air before it swept down towards the village. Yuupika's heart beat wildly in anticipation and fright, her thoughts racing at the implications of such a thing. Was that a messenger hawk? Who caught it? What did it say? Did Daisuke make it to the nearest hidden village alright? Did Jungo Kawatake know? All she could do was wish for the best and go on with life as normal until then. The kind face of the merchant that she stole from flashed in her brain and Yuupika frowned.

The seventh day of the week was tense. Clouds loomed up above the village, presenting an ominous face and the wind bit with the chill of oncoming rain. Kusa was almost always a sunny place, so no one was truly prepared for such uninvited weather, the morning traffic of bodies huddling together to keep out the cold. They worked with the company of the stiff breeze until noon time when the light drizzle that had started thirty minutes ago became an all-out downpour and the gang members guarding the fields instructed everyone to head home for the day. Rejoices were sung throughout the mass and the flow was just slightly faster heading towards the residential district, a show of excitement. Even rain was something to be admired in this rundown city, where nothing ever changed.

Yuupika should have felt him coming. She should have known.

They were sitting around the warm fire after meal of hot soup when all of the sudden, the door to the house was knocked off it's hinges in a great gust of charged power and air and Yuu immediately stood to her feet, alarmed in wake of the anomaly that-

"!" The girl hardly had time to move, yet alone scream as a meaty hand was suddenly enclosed around her throat and her back was slammed against the wall, the excruciating pain of numerous volts of electricity coursing through her body. Her senjutsu deactivated immediately, the darkness seeming all encompassing around her as she convulsed violently and struggled against the grip on her neck, making breathing impossible. And then just a second after it came, the bruising hold was gone and she fell to the floor, twitching in the aftermath. Saliva trickled out of her mouth as she heaved in breaths, her senses rapidly coming back to her. _He knows. Oh god, that hawk was carrying a missive and HE KNOWS._ Even though her ears were ringing like a bomb went off on her shoulder, the vibrations still reached them and the tingling on her skin told of the scene in front of her.

'-of all people, would know the severity of the situation.' The tall form of Jungo Kawatake held Kazuki up by the throat, a sobbing Yuri and Mibi huddled in the corner of the room, terrified.

'Kawatake-sama, I don't know what-'

'Nothing you say will improve your situation. You have broken the laws of Chachubi and you will pay with your life. Rejoice! Your son will live yet because of your sacrifice.'

Yuupika forced herself to activate her senchakra in desperation, panic like the lightning of a few moments ago igniting in her veins at those words – just in time to see Jungo's fist bullet through Kazuki's chest, blood spraying out of the fatal wound like the shower of rain outside. That very moment seemed to suspend in time, over before it even began, and yet moving so slow and replaying in her head, that Yuupika could not even breath. Nobody in the room was even breathing except Jungo, who retracted his fist and let Kazuki slide to the floor, a large smear of blood decorating the wall. His glassy eyes fell to the wall, the dullest sight that anyone could possibly see at the moment of their death – not a loved one or something significant or some item of sentimental value, just _a plain, old wall._ The large man turned, not sparing the one he killed a second glance and rested his focus on her.

'I must investigate and retrieve all his accomplices now. But when I am done, Miss Tsubaki, _I will come back for you_. There is no escaping.'

He left.

Slowly, Yuri untangled herself from Mibi's frozen form, crawling over to Kazuki on her hands and knees. Her slanted eyes widened into ovals much like the shape of her pretty face, disbelief and touches of hysteria floating around inside of them as her hands flitted over his slumped body. She was totally uncaring of the pool of blood that was steadily growing around him, staining her clothes and skin.

'Kazuki? My love?'

Mibi's arm jerked suddenly and her palm slapped over her mouth.

'My love?'

Ironic, Yuupika subconsciously thought, that of all times her hearing would choose to start to come back to her, it would choose when Yuri let out the most pain-filled, blood curdling scream. And she deserved to hear it. She deserved to hear that. She should have seen him coming. She should have known.

On shaky, unbalanced limbs, Mibi crawled over to Yuupika, helping her twitching frame into a sitting position before hugging her. Her frail arms circled the girl's small shoulders tightly and Yuu could not find it in herself to return the embrace. She just felt so _numb_. Was she in shock? Yes…she was definitely in shock. Kazuki was dead. _Dead._ Because of them – _her_. If she had not gotten the money in the first place and just left, none of this would have happened. But now…

 _There is no going back._

"Are you okay, Tsubaki?" Mibi asked, her voice cracking.

 _I need answers._

"Where are the children." It wasn't a question. It wasn't even a demand. There was no power or force in her voice, high-pitched and girly, no overbearing tone or tenor. But, there was just _something_ that made Yuri try her hardest to stifle her tears and Mibi squeeze her eyes shut. For the most part, the loudest thing in that instant was the soft rain.

"Underground." Mibi whispered, looking oh so very tired and defeated. "The children…they are the generators of this town. Round and round, they walk in circles to keep the machines running, giving us hot water and electricity. It is…it is because they are so full of energy," Her voice cracked again and Yuri was clutching her face so hard that her fingers shook, in a frantic attempt to keep her sorrow in.

 _Their own children…? Just for hot water and electricity? All…All those times I bathed, the heat and light that I took advantage of, Yuri's hot meals, the nightlight Kazuki set up for me in the corner…_ She felt like she was going to vomit. "How can you live with yourselves knowing this?" Yuupika blurted out, yet another ring of shock trying to fit around her head.

"You are not innocent either, Tsubaki!" Yuri shouted, enraged, and Yuupika was taken aback by her sudden volume and intensity. "You've enjoyed the same luxuries we have! There is nothing without a price! Even unknowingly, you are just as equal a cause as any of us for those…their suffer…ing…gahh!" Her blood soaked hand flew to her stomach and her face screwed in pain. Mibi's eyes widened and she bolted to Yuri's side, assessing her in hurriedly.

"She's going into labor!" The elderly woman exclaimed. "Tsubaki, help me get her to the bathroom!" Beyond her better judgement, Yuupika obeyed, rushing to the woman's side to hoist her up and drag her with chakra-enhanced strength to the aforementioned destination. She had very few scraps of knowledge about home birth from her past life, just passing comments from when her friend described the process after having her own baby, so she was fluttering uncertainly around Yuri as she set her down in the tub. Not having the _knowledge_ terrified her. "Take off her clothes!" Mibi instructed, her tone firm and sure. _She must have studied a lot for this._ Yuu immediately did as she was told, ripping the stained dress from Yuri's body and ignoring the angry swats that the woman made at her. Yuri cried out again in pain, gripping the sides of the tub. The girl backed up to let Mibi take over, heart pounding as she watched her turn the knob and start to fill the basin with warm water – _water that those children were working for._

 _Jungo Kawatake…he lied to me…he was…he was just fucking with my head! Is this the deception of a chunin? The ability to manipulate and pervert so profusely that I…even I was doubting myself…Obito…_

"You must go before he comes back, Tsubaki!" Mibi yelled frenziedly over Yuri's wild screams. "You must leave!"

"No." Yuupika reached into her fox-skin pouch and gripped the gemstone within, willing her only true kunai to come forth with a burst of angry chakra. "Tonight, I will slaughter the Kawatake gang." She pulled the shiny metal out, horror painting Mibi's face at the sight of it gleaming in the fluorescent light.

 _Tonight, I will slaughter Jungo Kawatake._

* * *

Jungo Kawatake left his home with only two guards stationed out front, and because of this, it was easy to slip in through the side window near his office and rummage through his desk, coming across a single spool of ninja wire and a handful of explosion tags. Yuupika wasn't all that skilled in traps, but she reckoned that she would figure something out. Every wasted moment she spent thinking too long, doubting herself, more villagers would be apprehended and she refused to let more lives be lost than need be. Even if they were wretched, every last one of them, they were human.

Yuu leapt out and sprinted towards the barracks tower, dodging the pale green moonbeams, and climbed up the south wall, sticking close to the cement and the darkness. She busted a window in the top floor's bathroom with her fist, glancing around before lowering herself inside and shuffling the explosion tags. She splayed them on the support beams in the rooms, near the very top and the very bottom and drew taut the ninja wire connecting to a select few tags in the building. She trapped the front door so the wire would spring as soon as it was shut and send a wooden senbon charged with chakra flying at the closest tag, activating it. A chain reaction of explosions would ensue, bringing the whole building down. If they neglected to shut the front door right away, anyone trying to lay in the third bed to the left on the second floor would break the wire pulled far too tight underneath it and send another wooden senbon charged with chakra flying, activating the nearest tag. If neither of those actions were carried out, there was a wire connected to the handle on the toilet in the fourth stall of the bathroom on the first floor that would do the trick.

Yuupika sucked in a deep breath as she crept back out and dropped onto the rooftop of a neighboring establishment soundlessly. She sat down with her feet drawn in close to her body and cracked her neck in preparation. Then, she pushed the limits of her senjutsu underground, spreading it out far and deep. _Where are they, where are they? Please, oh please, let me find them…please let me find them…_

 _…_ _there!_ On the east side of town, in the wooded area just beyond, was a series of tunnels with an opening inside one of the trees. Yuupika nearly shed a tear of joy as she raced there, her short legs and small feet carrying her as fast as they could. She blasted through the hollow trunk where the opening was with a chakra charged fist, taking off before the debris had even settled. She paid no mind to the throbbing in her hand or the splinters that probably embedded themselves there, using her senchakra to guide her through the narrow, winding halls, meant to confuse those who didn't know where they were going. Yuu approached a large room, using her momentum to jump and kick the two men guarding it in the back of the head, sending them to the floor immediately, then landed in front of them and planted a hand on the ground to keep herself steady, taking a moment to catch her breath. The whirring of machines and the vibrations of tiny footsteps assaulted her before she even looked up and spread her senchakra to investigate. Together, they painted a picture of large generators releasing clouds of smoke in the air, connected to several pipes and the heat of fire and steam tingling unpleasantly on her cheeks as small, bone-skinny children and teenagers alike walked in circles around them. Large iron rods extended out with clamps at the end that attached to their necks. They didn't even turn to see the disturbance, they just walked, tracks of blood on the dirt where their feet dragged about. A great anger overtook her as she saw a teen who looked far too much like Kazuki for her mind to ignore hacking at the burst of smoke that assaulted his face. Without a second thought, she ran at him and stopped his mindless trodding, nimble fingers unfastening the clamp around his neck. He dropped immediately and she caught him in her arms, lowering his lanky body and resting his head of messy hair on her lap. It was only then that she began to catch the attentions of the others.

The teen raised a shaking hand and grasped her arm weakly. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice rough and Yuupika almost gagged at the torn, ragged skin on his neck where the hot iron clamp dug into it. "You'll get in trouble…"

"Don't speak," She told him, placing her hand over his mouth. "I'm here to save you. My name is Tsubaki. Can you stand?" His wide, almost disbelieving eyes were focused intently on her, as well as all those of the others in the room, as he nodded and she helped him get upright. "Help the others, quickly." The teen nodded again hastily and they darted about on opposite ends of the room, freeing everyone. The little kids, some her age, were crying in relief and happiness, the teens herding them close until the whole mass was tightly huddled near the entrance of the room, warily staring at the two guards. She stood in front of them and kicked their heads for good measure before taking count of all the bodies.

 _Just over one hundred…125 kids in a town of 367 adults? Did some of them die?_ She shuddered at the thought and sighed. "Alright, guys." She spoke and everyone quieted. "I'm gonna get you out of here, but you have to stay close to me. Everyone grab hands and don't let go. If you get lost down here…" She locked her jaw and shook her head. "Never mind. Are you ready?" There were a few seconds of shuffling and mumurs before the boy who looked like Kazuki gave her a meaningful stare and she pivoted on her heel, walking as fast as she dare push their broken bodies. They all scurried after her and she used her senjutsu to direct them towards the entrance.

"Kawatake-sama will kill you, Tsubaki…" The Kazuki lookalike whispered in her ear with a concerned mien. Her heart skipped a beat in fear, but doubled in speed in anger.

"I'm a kunoichi in training," She told him, conviction strong in her tone. "If I die, he will too." The teen fell silent at that, his breaths laborious and the group continued on for what seemed like forever until they burst through the small opening in the tree, choked sobs resounding in the leaves and rain. Yuu understood. They were saved, at last, from the place where there was no sunshine or cold and the influx of sensations was probably more than they would handle – but a fast-approaching chakra signature made her shiver. _There's no time!_

"Go!" She shouted at them. "Quickly, to the fields, it's that way!" She pointed north and they all scurried off at her command, the last foot disappearing into the brush just moments before the subject of her whirling emotions touched down on the wet leaves.

Jungo Kawatake straightened himself in the waning moonlight, water dripping off his imposing figure as he stared at her with cold eyes, colder than she had ever seen. She willed her breath not to catch in her throat and her limbs not to shake. "Miss Tsubaki."

"Mr. Kawatake." She answered in kind. There were no words between them. Not much could be said. He regarded her with cool acceptance and she regarded him with fire. There was nothing else to be done.

 _One of us must die. I won't let it be me._

There was no warning as he suddenly charged towards her with incredible speed and she just barely dodged, senjutsu showing her the lightning sparking off his fingertips where they should have met her throat. _He is aiming to kill._ Her hand dug into her pouch and flipped out a kunai. _Well, so am I!_ Jungo came at her again, small eyes glowing in the downpour, his muscles taut and ready like the tiger in the jungle and she deflected his hand at the wrist, sweeping her kunai in towards his throat. He blocked it with one of his own and easily overpowered her and Yuupika rolled with the force of his arms, letting his swing take her to the right. She skidded back on the ground, using chakra to keep her balance and propel her upwards as he landed a punch on the dirt she had just been standing on. Chunks went flying everywhere and he slowly rose as she crouched on a branch, hiding from his keen gaze. _I have to find a way to get in close. My reach is not nearly far enough to reach him – I need to slip into his defense somehow._

Yuu gripped her kunai before lunging towards his back, hoping to catch him off guard, but he turned rapidly and the back of his clenched fist slammed into her side. Spit flew out of her mouth and pain exploded in her ribs as she flew back and rolled on the ground across the small clearing. He wasted no time in surging towards her, large hand outstretched once again and Yuupika clutched a wood debris behind her, charging it with chakra before jamming it into his palm at the last second and using his surprise to leap back into the treeline. He grimaced at the bark sticking out of his hand as she tenderly held her throbbing side. _Fractured, at least. They must be. I can't get hit again._ She observed him as he slowly pulled out the debris and threw it on the ground, blood spurting out of his hand.

Suddenly, explolsions went off in the distance and they both turned to see the cloud of fire and smoke rise into the sky, shockwave whipping their hair back and ruffling their clothes. _The tower!_ A small smile spread her cheeks despite the dire situation. _I did it!_ Jungo turned back to her, his gaze narrowed as he realized what exactly she had done. There was no anger in his eyes however, nor was there pleasure. Just coldness and it scared Yuupika more than she cared to admit.

He sped through handsigns. _Ox, tiger, boar, horse, dragon, horse -_

A spear of lightning went flying at her and she dodged to the left, only to drop down to the ground to avoid another one and she hardly had time to move as a third lanced towards her, grazing her shoulder and her body convulsed slightly as the volts ran through her. A fist buried itself in her stomach suddenly and she sailed backwards, her spine aching at it's brutal meeting with a tree. Even in the pain, she was able to duck as his open hand, still bleeding, came at her neck and she lunged between his legs and away from him, slicing the tendon on the back of his knee as she went. Yuu propelled herself into the trees again, jumping from branch to branch to find a place to hide. Bark exploded behind her and she winced at the little pieces that found their way into the deep gash on her shoulder. Even with full use of only one leg, the man was fast. She was about to lunge again when a hand grabbed her wrist and she was sharply yanked back, her arm dislodging from her shoulder as she was thrown to the ground. Pain arched through her once more, her whole body protesting the abuse and her kunai rolling away from her in the leaves. There was a moment of silence and soft shushing of the rain as she struggled to her feet and then Jungo's hand was enclosed around her neck, too tight for her to breath. She gagged and choked, kicking desperately and her one moveable hand scratched at his arm, taking chunks of skin with it before he grabbed that too and held it away from him. She assaulted his chest, his stomach, even the unmentionables between his legs with her feet, but he hardly even flinched and overwhelming fear surged through her.

 _I don't want die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!_ Tears cascaded down her cheeks as her head become light and dazy and her lungs burned. _I can't die here! I have to live!_ In an effort to do something _, anything,_ she pushed her chakra out towards him and he immediately let go. Yuu didn't know why and she didn't want to – she wasted no time in dropping her hand down to her pouch and clutching the one explosion tag she had left, rocketing towards him and slapping it onto his surprised face. She pushed off of his chest with her legs and dove for cover.

The explosion still threw her back a few feet and she landed harshly as warm blood and chunks of things she didn't even want to _think_ about blanketed her. And then, it was over. Yuupika heaved in breaths, thanking all that was good and holy for air despite the way her throat seared with the intake. She was breathing and she was _alive_ , she didn't die a horrible, meaningless death and she could live to see her _family_ for the first time in what seemed like forever. She dropped her head to the side in relief and came across a sight with her narrowed senjutsu range that made her freeze.

It was a hand with a hole in the middle, still loosely in the position of grasping.

 _And it was made of stone._

Yuu regurgitated her dinner onto the thing and then frantically dragged herself away from it with her working arm, ignoring the pain. She expanded her senjutsu a bit to see another chunk of stone in the shape of a leg, very much looking like the muscular appendage of _Jungo Kawatake_ and then expanded it even more to find different parts of him, petrified, lying around in the dirt.

 _I…turned him to stone_ … _? How is that even…?_ She blinked. _Nature chakra. It was running through my system when I pushed my chakra out. So, that means I…_

Yuu shook her head of the thought and scooted back towards a tree, using it as a post to help her rise to her feet. Her dislocated arm jostled painfully and her ribs screamed in protest but she gritted her teeth through it all as she limped back towards Chachubi, focused only on her destination. As she emerged from the woods, the citizens of the village shouted and cried in joy and Mibi's tears were salty with the light rain as she gingerly hugged her, brain matter, blood, and all. Yuupika leaned into it, feeling the exhaustion in her bones.

"The fields," She murmured, her esophogas feeling like it had been pushed through a meat grinder. "Take me there." Mibi nodded and slowly, they trekked towards the other side of town, passing the smoldering ruins of the barracks that smelled of burning flesh and a number of houses that were torched to ashes before arriving, the downpour washing away the evidence of her fight. _The children._ Yuupika could sense them, could feel the vibrations of their breathing as they hid in the stalks. _You don't have to worry anymore._ She cleared her throat. "It's safe!" She called out into the night and she heard the gasps of villagers behind her as heads started poking out.

"Mio!"

"Hansuke!"

"Jin!"

Parents called to their children and soon, a flood of bodies came rushing out and she heard Mibi's sharp sob as the Kazuki doppleganger boy emerged. He ran into her arms and she clung to him tighter than she looked like she had the strength for.

"Nii-san?" The teen asked breathlessly, looking around.

Mibi shook her head against his dirty shirt. "I'm so sorry, Akihiko…" He screwed his eyes shut and held her tighter.

"…Yuri-chan?" His tone was so tentative and vulnerable that Yuupika shivered, uncomfortable. Mibi smiled at the name.

"Come," She unraveled herself from the teen's arms and gently took Yuu's hand, pulling them both through the streets. Yuu ignored the boys eyes on her as they walked and within a few minutes, they were back at the house, quiet greeting them. The door was propped up on the side and Kazuki's body was nowhere to be seen, although the bloodstain was still darkly marring the wood and the girl tried her best not to look at it as she limped behind Mibi. The woman escorted them to the master bedroom, where Yuri's peaceful, tired form lay, a small bundle in a crib next to her. Mibi let them go and picked up the baby, eyes shining as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Tsubaki-chan."

Yuupika jumped at the sound of Yuri's voice, straining her wounds, and looked over to her. "You're awake?" She inquired dumbly, wincing. The woman laughed, still tinkering and light like the first day she heard it.

"Thank you." Yuupika leaned on the doorframe to support herself, not sure how to respond.

"Yuri-chan…" Akihiko whispered in awe and the woman outstretched her arms towards him. He stumbled over to her, tears in his eyes and fell to his knees, burying his face in her lap. "Yuri-chan…"

"You've grown so much." She said as she carded her fingers through his mane. "You have a little nephew now. You must treat him with care." Yuupika felt like an intruder on the loving scene. "His name is Kazuki."

* * *

The whole town pulled together the next day to cook a feast. Her wounds were treated by the civilian doctor, who hid in his neighbor's cellar when the guards came around to kill him and torch his house the prior night and she was escorted around in a wheel chair by Mibi. The streets bustled with liveliness and the laughter of children and Yuupika accepted gentle hugs and kisses on her cheek from families who were restored, who suddenly seemed to have forgotten how they took advantage of their kids. That knowledge was lost and that night as they sat around the bonfire in the town square, she watched them all with avid attention. They shamed Jungo Kawatake and held their kin close to them and spit on the remains of the guard tower that Yuupika had blown to pieces not even a day ago. Yuri came out with her newborn, carted by Akihiko in a wheel chair, laughing and smiling and the people adored her. Her baby was to the town what her late husband was to her – a second chance. Yuupika sat and watched them all, dancing and playing music, illuminated by the flames in the darkness.

 _Is this the wretchedness of people? The hypocrisy? What am I seeing here? Do they deserve my empathy? How can they suddenly forget? How can they rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of men? Those gang members were men. Jungo Kawatake was a man. They were not demons. They were human. I slaughtered them all. In a single night, I ended over sixty lives._

Yuupika sucked in a breath.

 _I am a shinobi. A murderer._

"Tsubaki." Yuu craned her neck to see the boy leaning above her, a nervous twist in his expression. "I…want to speak with you."

"Speak with me."

"In private."

The girl sighed, hating the way her ribs ached in protest at the action even through the dulling affect of her pain meds, and nodded. Akihiko grabbed the handles of her wheel chair and took her away from the celebration, off into a side street just north of it and walked to stand in front of her, fiddling with his boney fingers.

"H-How old are you?" He asked.

Yuupika thought about this for a moment. It was…the middle of July? Her birthday was in October… "I'm seven." He nodded.

"I'm fourteen."

"Okay."

He licked his lips, scratching the bandage around his neck covering where his skin was rubbed raw from the iron clamps. "Tsubaki, I…" He straightened himself a bit and looked at her with anxious, but firm eyes. "I want you to be my bride." Yuupika blinked underneath her new blindfold.

 _Oh Kami. Not this shit again._

"No."

"I want to be with you."

"No."

"I'm devoting my life to you, regardless."

"No one asked you to do that."

"I will never leave your side."

Yuupika bristled, taking a deep breath. "You have a nephew now to take care of."

He shook his head. "Mibi-baa-chan and Yuri-chan can do that just fine. There isn't enough room in the house for all of us."

"They're your family."

"And you're my savior. You helped me when no one else would. You helped all of us. If not for you, Tsubaki, Chachubi would have stayed this way indefinitely."

There was silence for a moment. "You won't be welcome where I come from."

"I don't care. Even if I can't marry you, I want to be with you until I die. I won't let you go, not now or ever."

Yuupika quirked an eyebrow. "Is this your love confession?"

"Yes."

"l'm rejecting it."

He didn't miss a beat. "That's okay. I'll be your servant."

"What are you even saying? You just came out of servitude!"

"I don't mind if it's you."

She scowled at him. "Are you crazy? You don't even know me! You don't know who I am!"

"But I want to. I would have died if you didn't come for me."

"I didn't come for _just you_. Don't make this about you."

"Tsubaki!" He stomped his foot on the ground, frustration finally showing in his features. "I won't give up!" Yuupika turned her face. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything." She bit out.

"That's great. Then I'm coming with you."

"What are you still going on about?"

"I know you're not staying here and I'm going with you. Even to the ends of the earth." He gave her his most resolute stare, all fire and brimming passion in his bones and the eager tenseness of his body making him look like a predator just ready to pounce – _how Jungo Kawatake had looked at her, with the eyes of a tiger –_ but it still was not enough. She sighed.

"My answer is final. You won't be going with me."

"Tsubaki!"

Yuu hesitated for a moment before spouting something she would probably regret, if only to placate the fuming boy that was really starting to irritate her. "I will come back for you."

Akihiko stilled at that. "You…will come back for me?"

"The life I live is dangerous. You know nothing about me. It's all good and well that you would dedicate your life to me, but it means _nothing_ if you don't survive. So, stay here and survive. When you're strong enough, I will come back for you."

The teen blushed. "That's…" He pondered this for some time and Yuupika relished the silence before he responded. "I…understand, Tsubaki…" He took a few steps closer and Yuupika promptly felt discomfort bloom inside of her at his proximity. _What the hell does he think he's doing?_ "But…before you go, can…can I…?" He knelt down in front of her, leaning forward into her personal space and Yuu resisted with everything she had in her not to hit him or at least try to run. She was in no position for physical activity after her fight, being mummified in bandages after she discovered that it was only the wisps of adrenaline that had kept her going the prior night and she was seriously hurt. She sat stiff as a steel beam as he closed in on her face and his warm breath fanned across her cheeks as he shut his eyes and pressed his chapped lips to hers. It was an uttery foreign sensation for this body – not really pleasant in the slightest and although she held no sentiment regarding her first kiss, she really did not expect that it be with this boy. She fancied that she would have liked to kiss softer lips, under different circumstances, somewhere more appropriate than a dirty alley in a rundown village. Her mind was far older than his and some part of her felt disquieted at the fast that this should have been pedophilia, but another part argued quite well that her mind's age had nothing to do with the physical age of her body and so, short of being rude and callous, she had no legitimate reason to push him away. He, who adored her so much and named her his savior. She would have rolled her eyes if her lids were still open. _He is my Sakura and I am his Sasuke, it seems. How utterly…annoying._

When Akihiko pulled away, his face was swirling madly with chakra, his heart rate elevated and breathing just a tinge shallow. He kept his focus on her chin and the slim curve of her bandaged neck, embarrassed as he told her, "I love you."

Yuupika nodded, unable and more than unwilling to find a way to aptly answer that. "Please, take me back to the house."

He smiled softly at her, bittersweet and accepting, and wasted no time in complying with her demands. Mibi and Yuri waved them off, still enjoying the food and the drink of the celebration and Akihiko cheerfuly waved back, his frail body just barely maintaining the speed her pushed her with a single hand. She shook her head at his antics and let him gingerly set her to bed, ignoring his hopeful gaze with herculean effort.

"I leave tomorrow morning." She stated and he just nodded as he stoked the fire and then laid out his own sheets on the hard floor next to her, shadows and moonlight dancing beside him. The world faded and Yuupika knew that she would forget about him soon.

* * *

 _"_ _What is the most important thing in the world, Ro?"_

 _The little girl peered confusedly up at her father, cocking her head. "What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _What do you think is the most important thing in the world?"_

 _She considered this for a moment, studying the building blocks around her and the man who sat opposite of them. "Knowledge." He raised a brow._

 _"_ _Oh? Quite a mature answer for a kid like yourself."_

 _"_ _Dad!" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm ten now!" He laughed, not all that melodic or special, but so very warm._

 _"_ _Yes, yes, how could I forget? You're such a big girl." He praised and she preened._

 _"_ _That's right!" She exclaimed, ignorant of his mischevious gaze._

 _"_ _But you'll still always be my princess." The man smiled as she frowned._

 _"_ _Daddy! I told you to stop calling me that!" She protested and he shrugged innocently._

 _"_ _What can I say?" He opened his arms. "Come here." The little girl blushed ingidnantly but still moved to sit in his lap and rest her head to his chest. "You ever hear about the itsy bitsy spider?" She furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled._

 _"_ _No? What's that?"_

 _The man gasped exaggeratedly and rubbed his forehead. "Kids these days! Alright! I'll teach you how it goes – the true story!" Rosse nodded enthusiastically, eager to learn something. She had always been eager to learn, everything that she saw was a piece of knowledge to memorize and store. Her father began to sing. "The itsy bitsy spider went up-a Rosse's back – he turned to her face and said, 'My god, what's that?!'"_

 _"_ _Daddy!" She admonished, punching his arm even as she giggled and he howled with laughter._

 _"_ _Sorry!" He put up his hands in surrender, still shaking from his humor. "Sorry, Ro! I'm just kidding. You're my pretty, pretty princess." He tweaked her nose and she whined in frustration._

 _"_ _I told you to stop calling me that!"_

 _He beamed at her, mussing up her hair and she pouted. "I'll never stop."_

* * *

The sun beat down far too hotly on her head for her liking as she waited in the field that Obito had left her all those weeks ago. Yuu didn't know if he would come for her – but she would wait here until he did. The itch of sweat underneath her bandages made her want to attempt moving into the shade, but she resisted purely for the reason that she would be in more pain later than discomfort now if she did. She'd rather not aggravate her wounds and pay for it with loss of mobility and flexibility. She sighed as she stared up into the black sky. It was odd, now that she thought about it, that she could just barely distinguish day and night. The whole world with her senjutsu was painted greens and blues and then there was the grey and blacks of everything else. It occurred to her that she had never seen color, although she vividly remembered the blue, blue sky from her past life and the white, white clouds. She couldn't see the clouds anymore, not unless they were heavy with rain. A sunny day with the movement of light clouds was a lost novelty to her. She perceived rays only if they burst in through shaded areas.

She often wondered about skin pigmentation. Her senchakra would show her skin as shades of grey, a curious thing it was, every pore the size of a black hole if she wished to focus intently. From the Naruto episodes that she watched, Byakugan did something similar – however, the Byakugan range was limited in what it could see. The bloodline itself was heavily diluted. After all, Kaguya Otsutsuki's Byakugan could see even into her son's mind and dissect his very thoughts, turning them against each other at her will. It was never specified, but Yuu wondered if the original byakugan could see nature chakra even better than she could currently. Could she tune her nature chakra so much that she would be able to distinguish between all the different shades of greens, blues, and greys? To the point where she could perhaps perceive those colors so well that each skin would present itself singularly and each blade of grass would mimic snowflakes in their dissimilarities? Yuupika wanted to master her gift.

What was the skin tone of Jungo Kawatake?

The girl breathed a heavy sigh. She would never know. Now, he was simply bits and pieces of stone in the woods. _Petrification…_ While that could be very deadly in battle, it was still downright disturbing. She could not imagine what it would be like to watch yourself as you turned to stone, how it would feel for your very body to turn against you and drop dead. Did it hurt? Jungo was simply too shocked for her to know if he was feeling pain. She would have to ask Orochimaru about it – he was knowledgeable in these kinds of things.

Even though she was still a bit pissed that he swiped _spinal fluid_ from her without even asking. Seriously! Who _does_ that?

But her anger did not overshadow her longing and grief. The truth was simply that her heart was aching more than any part of her and she missed everyone there. She wanted the warm embrace of her mother after seeing her die over and over again, the hugs and affection from Kakuzu, the playful bickering from Juzo, the intellectual conversations from Orochimaru, the acceptance and respect from Sasori, and even Pain, she…

She wanted his love and guidance.

She missed her family and the weight of her actions for these past 10 months was weighing down on her more than she even wanted to acknowledge – she needed them now. She needed them always.

When the sun had fallen a bit in the sky some hours later, Yuupika heard the whine in the air that she was so atuned to and then, "Are you ready to leave?" from the deep voice that she hated and loved with all the same ferocity at once. Her heart beat wildly in her chest.

"Yes," She murmured, still gazing up into the blackness above her. Obito slowly began to cross the distance and her senjutsu paid rapt attention to his muscles and the way they flexed in the tight garbs he wore, every ridge and swell riveting to her. Her chest ached so badly. His hand rested on her wheel chair lightly and in the next moment, they were swirling out of existence. It took seconds for them to pass through his personal dimension, in which she felt a deep loathing, and to a balcony high above the city of Ame, where her memories told her she had first been presented to the citizens of this country. Pain and Konan were waiting there already and the breathing in the room stopped as they assessed each other for the first time in many, many months. Yuupika's heart swelled and her head became hazy at the longing that surfaced, all hot and bubbling just beneath her skin. Tears came to her shielded eyes.

"Kaa-san…T-Tou…" Her throat felt stretched thin and her good hand lifted to reach out to them, _alive and well._ Immediately, they both rushed to meet it and Konan pulled her carefully off of the wheel chair, settling her into her father's lap on the floor without straining her wounds. Yuupika gripped Pain urgently. His cloak was draped over her without a second though, warm, smelling of ink and rain, and his arms encased her, his lips pressing ginger kisses to her hair as she wailed. Yuupika didn't know where it all came from - or better yet, she knew, and she was still having such a hard time accepting it. The love of a father and the security found in a father's hold were things that she longed for even before she was connected to Pain. She _craved_ it so badly that all she could do was sob, despite the immense physical pain it caused her, and clutch the man providing it for her there and then. After all she had been through, it was a relief to her tired soul. Konan hugged her from the other side, sandwiching her between the two adults and Pain's arm circled around the woman's back. Her senjutsu deactivated long ago, but Yuupika was still able to read the vibrations acutely that told her Obito had stepped forward, arm outstretched as if to touch her in comfort, but was held back by the intensity of the glare that Pain had sent his way - she could feel the killing intent, even though it wasn't directed at her, so strong and thick that if she wasn't already a trembling mess, Yuu would have shuddered in fear. Obito's hand clenched into a fist for a moment before he let it drop back to his side, relaxed.

His voice was emotionless as he said, "In three month's time, Yuupika will attend the Chunin Exams."


	12. Bonus 1: Itachi's Interlude

A/N: Thank you all so much! A little gift for reaching 200+ followers and for your help figuring out my tech problems. :)

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto...but who says it has to stay that way?

* * *

 _~ Bonus: Itachi's Interlude ~_

He followed after the man fervently, although he wouldn't show it, the white hair billowing and defying gravity itself in front of him. He was excited – rightfully so. If all went well with this mission, he might just begin on the track of becoming apprenticed to the most talented shinobi present in the Leaf Village, second to the Hokage: Kakashi Hatake. Itachi Uchiha smiled inwardly, promising himself for what must have been the thousandth time that he would do his very best.

Suddenly, there was a spike of chakra just west and they both turned immediately to investigate, Itachi activating his sharingan. They ran fast and hard because _this could be their target and was the mission really about to be over already?_ But, to his disappointment, there was only an empty field, sunshine and eternal wind rustling the grass.

"What do you see, Itachi-chan?" The boy really did hate the name, but said nothing in protest to the revered man beside him. He studied the field instead, noting the small disturbances within it.

"Indentation trail. Two wheels, perhaps a cart no more than 60 pounds. It stops in the middle however, no sign of it's whereabouts, no footprints." He spoke, his brow furrowing. _Did it simply disappear?_ He summoned a crow, with a quick flash of his hands and a miniscule amount of blood, sending it up to scout the surrounding area. The man next to him flipped a small orange book out of his pouch, making Itachi nearly sigh. Every small break he got, and even sometimes when running, Kakashi Hatake pulled that _detestable porn_ out of his weapon's pouch and read it eagerly. Was he not, well, supposed to be teaching him? Something? Anything? Itachi was confident that he would become this man's apprentice in a mere matter of months. Hopefully this was not his regular behavior. A man of his caliber surely was a wonderful teacher, if slightly socially inept. But Itachi knew all about social ineptness. He had never been able to relate to his peers, no matter how desperately he wanted and it lead to many misunderstandings in his short life…even Tenma…

He blinked to rid himself of the painful memory. It was besides the point. He just sincerely hoped that Kakashi Hatake would be attentive and hardworking, as he had envisioned him.

The crow cried as it came swooping back down, its relaxed body telling Itachi that there was no one around. He frowned a bit at this as he relayed it to Kakashi. The man shrugged, then tucked his book away with a loving pat.

"Let's head into town then."

They jumped along the branches at a faster pace than they had been before and Itachi silently reveled in the fact that Kakashi was taking this more seriously now. They reached the town a short mile away and dropped onto the ground, Itachi allowing himself a moment of bewilderment as they came across the last sight they ever expected to see: people rejoicing, laughing, chatting happily in the streets with their families.

"Is…this the right town, Kakashi-san?" He murmured. The man only grunted weakly in affirmation, and Itachi felt his interest peak. What happened? The mission scroll had described this village as dull, under the oppression of nuke-nin Jungo Kawatake. They paid handsomely to be rid of him, probably piling up their life savings to be able to even afford a B-rank. But this…? Was it all some kind of farce? Kakashi walked forward slowly and Itachi lagged after him, working in overdrive to process what he was seeing compared to what he had expected.

"Excuse me," Kakashi tapped an older woman on the shoulder and she turned around with a smile to face him.

"Ah, shinobi-san! Mibi-chan said you were coming." She bowed politely and then patted – _actually patted –_ Kakashi Hatake on the cheek affectionately, like a grandmother would her grandchildren. "I never expected someone this handsome." Itachi blinked rapidly. _She's…hitting on Kakashi-san?_

The copy nin just scratched his head lazily and shrugged, managing to look bored and bashful all at once. "Maa, well. Where is Mibi-san, by the way?"

The lady pointed behind her. "Four streets down, take a right and hers should be the fifth house on the left." Kakashi nodded, brushing off the batting in her eyebrows that Itachi just barely kept his composure over in incredulity.

"Thank you, baa-chan." He said as he started to walk past and Itachi received a painful pinch on his cheek as he trailed him, resisting the urge to hold his abused face.

"Don't be shy." She called after them and Itachi shuddered.

"Kakashi-san…" He whispered faintly when they were far enough away.

"Just take in stride, Itachi-chan. Take it in stride."

The boy pressed his lips together faintly, heeding his advice as they headed towards their destination, observing a curious few burned houses along the way. Something had obviously happened. Behind the scent of food and drink, there was the traces of crisped human flesh, blood, and ash. He became more alert the farther into town they went, despite the joy floating in the atmosphere. When they finally came to the small house that their client owned, she was already standing at the door, frail figure holding a tiny bundle in her arms. Her hair was white as snow and her brown eyes assessed them reflectively, as if she knew something they didn't.

"Shinobi-san. Please, come inside." Her weathered voice was inviting and soft and they complied without question. Itachi immediately zeroed in on the large bloodstain decorating the wooden floor, enough to be lethal to any human. Kakashi glanced back at him and they shared meaningful eye contact. "Make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, Mibi-san." They sat down on the couch, lumpy and hard, with a small indent of a body on it. It was small, no more than…60…pounds… Itachi blinked.

She set herself down in the reclining chair just opposite of the two, rocking the bundle in her arms in which the boy could see a small tuft of brown hair. "Thank you for coming." Kakashi relaxed into the seat.

"You're our client, after all." She hummed noncommittally at that and silence fell for a few minutes. "So, what happened here?"

Mibi opened her mouth to speak, but heavy footsteps interrupted her and a wild-haired teen burst into the room, wide, green eyes glaring at them. "Are you with her?!" He searched the room with his frantic gaze, only for his whole face to fall when he didn't find what he was looking for. Itachi furrowed his eyebrows, observing the slightly bloodied bandage around his pale neck.

"Who?" Itachi asked.

"No one." Mibi interjected before the boy could answer. "Just a memory." _A memory?_ The boy fumed, his whole face turning red and he ran past them out of the house, not caring that he had no shoes on. Itach watched him go. Mibi sighed and shook her head, cooing at the little infant that had started to wake. "Don't pay him any mind. Anyhow, as you can see, everything has been taken care of here. Why don't you rest for a day or two before you head out?" Kakashi cocked his head.

"Maa, Mibi-san, are you sure you just want us to leave? You paid good money for us to come." Itachi could tell by the lilt in his voice that he was genuinely curious about the situation in this town. The boy would be lying if he said he wasn't too.

The woman's eyes shined as she finally lured the baby into slumber once more and she repeated, "It's all been taken care of."

When they left the house, Kakashi immediately turned and began to walk in the direction that the boy had fled and Itachi followed him without question. "We won't get any answers out of her, Itachi-chan. But that boy…he seemed pretty loose-lipped, no?"

"Very much so, Kakashi-san." He answered as he watched a little blonde girl twirl around with a raven-haired boy, the scene reminding him of something…something familiar…

"Mou, maybe one of your crows could find him?" Itachi tore his eyes away from the children as he called to the bird still hovering the area with a sharp whistle, startling some of people around him. It flew down speedily and after he gave it the correct cues, it flew off again, high into the sky. The two continued to walk down the street in the direction that it flew, where it was circling an area some ways into the woods. He sent Kakashi a glance and he nodded before they took off, hopping over rooftops with chakra enhanced movement and leaping through the trees when they reached them. It didn't take long at all to find the wayward teen, who sat leaning against a dented trunk with a longing expression. Kakashi was the first to jump down, startling the boy into banging his head on the bark behind him.

"Itai!" He held his wounded crown and glared up at the copy nin. "What do you want?"

"Maa, no need to be so hostile." Kakashi threw his hands up in mock surrender as Itachi touched down next to him. "We just want to ask a few questions." The teen huffed and turned away.

"What could you possibly want to know from me?"

"Who were you looking for earlier?" The Uchiha questioned, taking the initiative. The teen's resentful stare turned into something soft and hopeful, yet sad all the same.

"I…baa-chan said I'm not supposed to talk about her." He whispered, his tone wistful.

"And are you always going to do what your baa-chan says? What a good boy." Kakashi drawled condescendingly and the boy glared at him once again, his features changing in an instant with the blush on his face.

"No! It's not that!" He protested hotly, snarling. "She was…" And then his face changed again and Itachi was amazed at how one person could switch between emotions so quickly. "She was our savior."

"Oh?" Kakashi prompted, gentler this time and the boy easily caved.

"Yeah…" He nodded slowly. "I'm gonna grow up strong, just like her. I swear it." His blush grew harsher as he brought up a hand and brushed his chapped lips. "And then I'll make her my bride…"

"What did she do?" Itachi asked, seeing he was vulnerable in that moment.

"She killed him." The boy revealed, looking proud as the cat who caugh the canary. "She saved us all. When I first saw her, I thought she was weak and fragile, just like me – she was only half my age!" He chuckled and his green orbs lit up something fierce. "But she did it! Baa-chan tells me I shouldn't speak about it, I don't understand why…but, I'm not gonna listen! I want everyone to know what she did for me! A-And then, I'll…" He blushed again. "I'll…I'll marry her."

"Hmph. Well, good luck." Kakashi turned to walk away, but Itachi took another step forward, into the boy's personal space.

"Where did she kill him?" He looked up at the question and Kakashi paused mid-stride.

"Where…?" He pondered for a moment, then turned north. "That way. Nobody's gone near it yet to check it out, but this is where she came from."

Itachi nodded and composed a quick, "Thank you," before heading in that direction, hearing the slightly faster than normal steps of Kakashi as the man caught up with him.

"Nice job, Itachi-chan." He said as he mussed up the Uchiha's hair and Itachi's eye twitched in annoyance...

"Hn."

They went in silence the rest of the way, a few minutes passing before they happened upon any semblance of a battle ground. Itachi activated his sharingan and scanned the treeline, catching the footprint indents and many smashed branches, then the hole in the ground where someone had hit the dirt with excessive force, the scorches left from lightning jutsu on the trunk of a tree, and the indentation of a small body just beside it…even smaller than himself. Someone his age or younger took on Jungo Kawatake by themselves? A tiny girl, no less? Sure, it looked very much like she had taken a considerable beating as well, but she was the one who came out alive. On the topic of Jungo's death, where was the body? The blood?

"Itachi."

He turned at the sound of Kakashi's rather grim voice, eyes drawn to the large piece of stone in his hand shaped like a…leg? His gaze fell just a few yards away from that to see a hand, outstretched and lightly grasping, also in stone. _What in Kami's name…?_ Kakashi wandered off behind a tree, only to come back with two bulging pieces of rock that fit jagged edge to jagged edge, forming a torso adorning the traditional Kumo garbs.

"It…certainly fits his description, Kakashi-san."

The man grunted as he positioned the leg underneath the torso, staring intently. "Just about the height as well, excluding the head, and the same shoulder width."

"So, Jungo Kawatake was…petrified?" Itachi spoke, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Perhaps." Kakashi muttered as he let the pieces drop. "Are we dealing with Iwa? Though, I've never heard of such a jutsu before."

"It could be a new bloodline, Kakashi-san." Itachi suggested and the man rubbed his chin.

"Perhaps," He repeated, sighing. "How unexpected. Hokage-sama won't be happy." Then, he smiled with a smooth curve of his eye, cheerful in a way that was almost disturbing to see from someone Itachi knew was dangerous beyond compare. "Lucky you, Itachi-chan! Getting a free pass to the chunin exams like this…I wish all my B-ranks were this easy. You've practically done nothing! Even though this town is in quite a state of disarray..."

He edged away from the man at the sight of his smile quickly coming sadistic underneath his mask.

"Why, _Itachi-chan_ , you could help with the clean-up!"


	13. She Wasn't Ready

A/N: Yo guys!

This chapter was ridiculously hard to write! No joke, it was so annoying. But I accomplished it. Whoopie!

I hope it's not _complete_ trash, try to enjoy! And thanks for all the support and reviews. You guys are the best. :)

P.S. - What's your favorite DP chapter?

Disclaimers: No, I don't own Naruto, do ya have to rub it in my face?

* * *

 _"_ _You're free to use your arm now, sweetheart, but you've gotta take it easy with your ribs. I've mended them, but they're extremely fragile, so you'll have to stay in this wheel chair for another month or so." Konan tucked a lock of Yuu's hair behind her ear and the girl sighed._

 _"_ _What a drag…"_

 _Konan laughed and kissed her forehead, then stood to her feet. Yuupika felt even smaller than she already was. "You'll just have to bear with it."_

 _"_ _Rest assured, you won't do any physical training for the foreseeable future." Pain spoke as he strode in and Yuu turned to him with a smile, relaxing into her wheel chair._

 _"_ _Tou-san." She greeted._

 _He bent down to kiss her cheek, asking, "How are you feeling?"_

 _"_ _I'm fine now, just very sore."_

 _Pain hummed. "Well, that's to be expected." He pulled up a chair from the desk across from her bed and sat down gingerly, pursing his lips. "Now, Yuu-chan…while you were away, Amegakure received a sudden and very sizeable influx of mission requests." She tensed, then winced at the ache it caused in her torso, but the dread was there just the same. He continued. "Not long after, I discovered why."_

 _Yuu's mouth ran dry as midwestern summers. "T-Tou-san, I-"_

 _"_ _I'm not angry with you." He sighed out, interrupting her before she could begin her long string of apologies. "It's…It's nearly as you said it would be. None of the other countries dare interfere – at least, not yet. There's no telling what the repercussions will be. After all, we have taken all the missions from the border towns of Earth, Wind, and Fire countries. Not to mention we have caused the dissolution of a barely formed hidden village in River." He chuckled, partially in humor and partially in stress, running a hand down his face. "A good part of Fang, Claw, Grass, and River now send missions soley to us, so I hardly leave my office anymore. We had to totally remodel the first four floors to accommodate our shinobi-in-training. Kakuzu has erected training facilities around the city. Everything is so lively now, it's like Christmas all the time. So much has changed because of what you set in motion…Yuupika…" His Rinnegan eyes regarded her warmly. "The future is still unclear, but Ame has evolved into something I am proud of. I…was wrong about your ideas. I'm proud of you, princess."_

* * *

Yuu reached up to secure the blindfold around her eyes absently. She was quite used to it now, having the thing on her face all the time and almost felt naked without it. It had become a comforting weight on her skin and a shield to hide the absent look in her black orbs. Not that she was ashamed, per say…but she didn't want to give anyone reason to make her the butt of a joke. Pain walked beside her, holding her small hand in his exceedingly large one. He wore a mask of his own and a hood, much like Kakuzu, his noble robes billowing behind him towards where the miser was striding close, in hooded garb that left no inch of skin revealed. The sand brushed her cheeks pleasantly, though the insanely hot beams of the sun were beating down on her head and it was only a careful circulation of half molded, water-natured chakra in her system that kept her cool and without burns.

"When will we be there, Tou-san?" She asked, pushing her chakra to her mouth to speed up saliva production. She was truly parched.

Pain glanced down at her, the subtle genjutsu over his eyes unsettling her a bit. She was so very used to the startling concentric circles, so the dull orbs that looked back her now almost made her think she was talking to a stranger. He…looked more like Yahiko now. It was only the piercings that set the two apart. "Soon, princess." He told her. "Sunagakure is just on the horizon."

Yuupika stretched her range to see the towering walls of the village to the south and nodded, knowing the man above her would see it. "So, maybe thirty minutes?"

"Just about."

She gripped his hand tighter and reached back towards Kakuzu with her other. Not a second later, his calloused fingers were brushing her palm and then encasing her tiny appendage reassuringly. She felt less anxious in the presence of her two father figures and their tender grips, knowing the strength they held within was more than enough to protect her from whatever may come. Juzo had told her he was more than confident in her ability to become chunin and she relished those words inside of herself as they grew closer to their destination. _I wonder who will be there – and what will become of me? Surely, there is no one on the level of Jungo Kawatake…and I have trained hard to better myself since then…_

When they came upon Sunagakure, Pain held out their travel papers for inspection and they were ushered inside unceremoniously, the guards looking overworked for all they were worth. The city was lively, but tense, teeming with foreign shinobi and natives alike, all distrustful and paranoid. The civilians were oblivious for the most part, just happy about the influx of strangers who carried sizable ryo purses to buy their goods. The genin floundered around excitedly, lean muscles flexing and weapon pouches full to the brim. There were gleaming smiles and laughs of elation abounding and Yuu wondered what adventures these children had been on, if they had seen death and dealt it like she had – and if they could still be the same afterwards. Yuu observed her competition with shielded eyes, an eyebrow raised almost incredulously. From what walks of life had they come? Could they really be so…unbothered? A flash of four spiky pigtails made her heart skip a beat and she turned just slightly to see them rustling in the desert wind and a pudgy, familiar face scrunched up as the adjoining small mouth shouted at a boy covered in war paint. He shrunk back, the chakra visible in his cheeks as he glanced around, obviously embarrassed. Yuupika was tempted to smile. _Some things never change._ Pain and Kakuzu stuck close to her, hands secure around hers as they navigated like the graceful shinobi they were through the crowds.

 _I wonder where Nagato is? His body must be around here somewhere…? Maybe hidden away in the desert._ She hummed thoughtfully. _Orochimaru has a base around here. Perhaps, Nagato is residing there for the time being? Logically, that is where he would be safest. I hope he is somewhere safe. Him and Konan should be somewhere safe…_

She was put on guard, carefully hidden by her robes, at the sight of some quieter teams that were wandering around near the stalls and slowly down the streets. The ones who were careful and cautious, they would be her real challenges, she knew. Yuu turned away from them and let her guardians guide her towards their hotel. It was a rather nice establishment, a large dome of sand that was undoubtedly a few stories high, with ornate rugs and colorful paintings inside that made the place seem lively. Pain spoke quietly with the innkeep and a large key was passed over the counter not a minute afterwards. The group of three tread leisurely up the few flights of stairs to the third floor, stopping at the last door in the hallway. They stepped inside to a spacious room as soon as Pain unlocked it, the sight of two large beds being the first thing her senjutsu spread over, and then the adjoining bathroom, round table with chairs and desk afterwards.

"It's nice." Yuupika commented, mildly surprised.

"Of course." Pain replied as he let go of her hand and paced the perimeter. The chakra swirled in his eyes and Yuu knew that he was making good use of his Rinnegan. Had he pooled all of his powers into Tendo? The question suddenly struck her and she cocked her head slightly. Would that even be possible? _Perhaps._ _He seems more powerful than usual, now that I really study his chakra. It's almost overflowing in his system._ A small smile quirked her lips as pride filled her chest. _And he is_ _my_ _Tou-san._

"I…can't help but wonder the price of this room for the whole month, Leader-sama." Kakuzu managed, blinking rapidly. Yuupika hid a giggle behind her hand.

"It's already paid for in full." Pain called back as he strode into the bathroom, the heavy door clicking shut behind him. If anything, Kakuzu looked even more pained.

"It's alright, 'Kuzu-chan!" She said as she pulled him towards one of the beds. He followed after her with a disbelieving glance and she beamed at him as she dropped onto the mattress. "Just enjoy this while it lasts." She patted the space next to her and the nuke nin sighed as he laid down, throwing an arm around her when she curled up into his side.

"I don't have much of a choice now, hm?"

The patter of water hitting a shower floor accompanied her laugh. "Nope." It was quiet for a while afterwards, and Yuu's head was hazy as she tinkered between dreams and consciousness. The journey had been tiring and her body was feeling the effects in full – slumber was beckoning. Distantly, she felt the soft press of lips to her crown and whispered words accompanying it.

* * *

…

 _"_ _I'm susceptible to genjutsu?" The girl uttered in awe as she stared at the man in front of her. He chuckled slowly, his deep voice and the vibrations accompanying it like music to her._

 _"_ _No, not usually. But Rinnegan-based genjutsu twists nature chakra itself to achieve the caster's desired affects." She continued to gape at the spiked hair turned pin straight and slanted eyes that were now ovals. He…looked somewhat like Nagato now. "Even you cannot resist it, princess. I just wanted to warn you before we leave that I'll be using genjutsu to change my appearance a bit. I do not wish to be recognized." Yuu nodded dumbly and Pain chuckled again before planting a tender kiss to her crown._

 _"_ _Someday, you'll do it too."_

…

 _Someday…?_

 _Yes. Someday…_

 _'_ _It is so dark…this bed is so warm...' She sucked in a breath. 'Take your arms from their place around me – I don't want them anymore.'_

 _A forlorn murmur in her ear, "Forgive me…"_

 _'…_ _but, don't let me go…promise me that…never again…please, take care of me…'_

 _His hold was strong and while a shiver ran through her at the feeling of his skin so firmly pressed to hers and his muscled chest at her back, her throat tightened in anger_. _His lips brushed her hair in a kiss, his breathing strangely uneven. "Yuu…"_

 _"_ _Forgive me…"_

 _…_

* * *

She came to her senses slowly. The internal clock that had she'd developed told her that it was still deep into the night and she tapped into her senchakra sleepily, rubbing her cheek with a lazy hand. _That dream…_ She shivered.

"Awake?"

Yuu glanced up at the man who's arms she was encased in. "Yes…why aren't you sleeping?" Kakuzu rolled his eyes in mock-irritation.

"It's my watch shift, after all."

She nodded and nuzzled into his chest, feeling the jiongu rustle slightly beneath his skin. She was still in her travel robes and he was as well, and Yuu wondered if he had been holding her all this time. They had shifted a bit, as he had turned towards her and they were facing each other, his built arms tenderly wrapping her like a glass doll, but it seemed at though Kakuzu didn't even consider pulling away. Tendo lay deathly still, like the corpse he was, on the bed across from them, chakra absent from his body. Was he cold? Where was Nagato now? Moonbeams bathed him in pale green light, making his peaceful features appear angelic. _He's so handsome._ Kakuzu was too, she thought, even now when his stern brow was furrowed in idle annoyance and his eyes were cast off a ways out in a bored shine. Her heart fluttered.

"I love you, Tou-chan." She murmured, clutching his clothes. The miser's face flushed a bit with chakra and he gently mussed her hair, warm fingertips grazing her scalp affectionately.

"Mm." He grunted in a low tone, staring pointedly elsewhere. "You should sleep. The chunin exams begin tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Yuupika breathed deeply of his earthy scent, not missing the softness in his distant orbs. "I will."

* * *

"Do well, princess." Pain smiled down at her, just a faint quirk in the corner of his lips behind the cloth covering his face, but she saw it and he knew that she did and so Yuupika was filled with happiness.

"Of course." She beamed and a light flick to her nose made her giggle.

"Brat." Kakuzu muttered warmly. "Don't forget our lessons."

She palmed her chest, feigning hurt. "Who, me? _Never_."

"Hmph." His gaze danced with mirth. The three of them stood outside of the Sunagakure academy, as well as many other teams of shinobi and their sensei's all bumbling with anxious energy, dressed in another set of robes. Yuupika's, of course, had slits up the sides to ensure freedom of movement and she wore short spandex shorts underneath to protect her modesty. Hidden under the light material were bandages around her chest and forearms and wrapped all around her feet to act as pseudo shoes. After spending all of her life barefoot and adapting to the wilderness without proper coverings, she moved with much more certainty without them. Was that weird? _Nah._

But the genius in her outfit was in fabric. She had weaved in graphene, sure to protect her from sharp objects, like kunai, tanto, and ninja wire. One less thing she had to worry about. And if all went well, she would begin production of this as a new product. Perhaps her best selling one yet.

A whistle blew from the front of the small courtyard and everyone turned to see a tall, skinny man in loose, blue clothing with a chunin jacket and a bored expression. "Testing will now commence. All participating genin report to room 201 on the third floor. You have one hour to arrive and then the doors will shut." He turned and disappeared back into the building as swiftly as he came.

 _Well! Guess this is no different from the Leaf exams. Should be a piece of cake, but I'll go earlier anyway to get a feel for the competition some more. I didn't do much scouting yesterday…_ Yuu pivoted on her heel to send a grin and thumbs-up to the two men behind her. "Wish me luck!"

"You don't need it." Kakuzu drawled, and she stuck her tongue out at him playfully before walking off. To her surprise, everyone rushed inside and she grumbled unhappily. _So much for my plan…_

The inside of the building was painfully plain, and she immediately frowned at the way the numbers were partially scratched off of the door, the paint fading on the parts that were still visable. Her senjutsu allowed her to see the small particles where flecks of paint still existed, so she could accurately decipher what the numbers where. Her eyebrows furrowed and she absently reached up to tug at the bottom of her blindfold. _These are all two digit numbers. And there are only two floors. What is going on here?_

And then she noticed the way that some teams were facing the walls and a few doors with blank expressions and she immediately made a connection. _Genjutsu. But I'm immune?_ She raised her hand up for good measure and made the appropriate seal, pulsing her chakra as she whispered a firm, "Kai!"

Nothing changed.

She scratched her head, watching in idle interest as a girl in Taki garbs suddenly jolted to awareness, quickly shaking her teammates afterwards. The three took a wide look around them, faces a bit pale before the shortest boy fumed in anger and began to make a fuss. The girl was quick to placate him with a slap over the head, and then her beady eyes rested on Yuupika.

"You there!" She called and the young kunoichi nearly flinched. "Are you a procotor? What's going on?!" _What? Me? A proctor? Why would she even think that?_

"Shut up, Mimi, she doesn't know anything, let's just go! We gotta get to the third floor!" The taller of the two complained, scowling. His gaunt features made him look somewhat like a lizard. _Well. The girl is no better._

"Idiot! She's alone and she doesn't have a hitai ate! She's gotta be a proctor, the one casting the genjutsu!" Mimi argued and the boy's mouth uncoiled just a bit. He rounded on Yuu.

"Where is room 201?"

"Um…"

"She's clueless," He concluded, shaking his head. "Let's just take whatever she has on her and go."

 _…_ _what?_

"Ugh! Whatever." Mimi flipped out a kunai and narrowed her gaze at Yuu. The three of them prepared for attack and Yuu's thoughts ran lightning fast.

 _Can…can I take them? Three genin, should be no problem, right? Nothing like Jungo Kawatake…but there's three and I have no idea of what they're capable of._ A voice from a far off memory came floating back to her.

 _'…_ _don't be afraid to use your gift…'_

 _No. I can take them._

Yuupika didn't give them a chance to charge as she poured her chakra into her body and surged towards them. She reached Mimi first, a small part of her reveling in the surprised look on her face before twisting the girls arm and plunging her own kunai into her leg. Mimi immediately screamed, but Yuu was already gone, deflecting a swooping punch from the shorter boy and slipping behind him with all the grace of fluid water. Her hands rested on his jaw and twisted his head just so that she dislocated his neck. He immediately dropped to the ground, paralyzed and screaming in pain, while Yuu flipped back to avoid a wakizashi in her stomach. Her senjustu showed her the angry lines on the taller boy's face and his harsh panting sent tingling vibrations against her skin. He recklessly lunged forward and she moved the with curve of the sword, making him lose balance as he swung at empty air and she reached around him to jab two fingers against the middle of his spine, injuring his T7 and T8 vertebrae. He dropped against the wall, just like his teammates, and Yuupika observed the horrified expression on his face as wet himself, no longer in control of his bladder. Mimi and the shorter boy passed out in shock and the one she just took down continued to stare disbelievingly at himself. Quickly, she jabbed a few points on his shoulders, numbing his arms. That seemed to rouse him.

"You-! You-! You-! I'll-! _I'll kill you!_ " He shouted as she walked away, passing a few more teams who had dispelled the genjutsu and were gawked at her in terror. She ignored them and the feeling in her gut _(all non-fatal, recovery period of 3-6 months)_ as she spread out her senchakra, extending it underground as a lucky afterthought. _Ah. There's a floor underneath._ She paid close attention to the way a few teams bumbled around through the spacious hallway, hands cautiously feeling on the walls. _It's dark down there?_

A cool draft on her ankles alarmed her for a moment. _Oh! There must be a loose floorboard or something…_ Yuu let out a low whistle, almost inaudible, letting the vibrations that bounced back at her off bodies, walls, and wooden planks paint a different kind of picture. She shuddered at the sensations, and then, _'there!'_ – an inconsistency in the glue that bound the boards together, seal broken in a single place near the wall around a few corners – Yuupika smiled. Carefully, as not to alert the other teams pacing the hallways and speaking amongst themselves, she skulked over and lifted the plank, dropping inside on all fours. It was colder down there, like summer had suddenly transitioned into fall, and Yuu quickly adjusted her ratio to fire. She let the barely molded chakra flow through her, warming her skin and bones as she mapped out the area ahead of her. _It's like a series of tunnels…and the symbols are in braille? That makes no sense, there is no plausible reason why these kids would even know what braille is, let alone understand it. What's the play here?_

Again, she observed many genin staring blankly at walls and space, their chakra systems hiccupping at the disturbance of genjutsu. She frowned a bit. _Isn't this a little too difficult for genin?_

The young kunoichi shook off the thought. _I shouldn't be worrying. This just solidifies my chances of becoming chunin._ A boy tripped on his own feet in the dark, immediately drawing his kunai and pressing himself to the wall, fear and caution written over his features. Yuu sympathized with him – she remembered what it was like when she was truly blind and how disorienting it was before she got accumstomed to it. At this point, she doubted there was an actual written segment. Just getting to the exam room was a test of observation, awareness, and will. Most genin would never even know they were caught in genjutsu or would be too paranoid to realize the way the subtle bumps of braille on the floor made…a trail…under her feet… Yuupika blinked. _Oh. Well. That's certainly interesting. You'll only feel it if you walk in the middle of the hallway, trusting your senses to guide you along the path._

 _The two main senses are sight and touch,_ the girl remembered from her lessons with Obito. _But sight is somewhat unavailable to me, so sound and touch are my mains, even though I overcompensate for all of them._ She silently passed a group of three huddled together and shaking. _Vertigo, paranoia, varying degrees of fright, and in extreme cases, hallucinations. All reactions of the body and mind when suddenly shut off from the senses they are most dependant on for extended periods of time. This truly is brutal for a bunch of genin._

Yuupika came upon a dead end soon enough and she felt along the side wall for a small push-in panel that she knew was there. Quietly, the stone wall in front of her slid away to reveal a well-lit room, a few teams already waiting inside and the same proctor that sported the bored expression sitting back in a rolling chair, his feet propped up on a nearby desk and fingers tinkering with a kunai. He raised a thin brow at her.

"Congratulations on passing the first phase of the Chunin Exams. Where's your team?" His voice was flat and disinterested, as if he wasn't hosting a career-changing event.

"I don't have one." She answered. More than a couple heads turned.

"Oh?" He shook his head and his gaze fell back to his kunai as he waved his free hand in dismissal. "None of my business." Yuu gracefully strode in, intending to take a seat near the back of the room. She ignored off the way prepubescent boys and girls flushed with chakra at the sight of her bare legs brushing past her robes when she made her way by and the eyes lingering on the elegant, but modest 'v' dip of the neckline and tight sash around her waist. The outfit complimented the silk and graphene blindfold she wore around the upper half of her face, delightfully leaving much to mystery. She had the mind of a 30 year old, after all, now 38 with her added years. A revealing outfit such as this didn't mean the same thing to her as it did to them.

" _Psst!_ "

Yuu turned to the side, not even 30 seconds having gone by since she sat down. A slim girl with a Konoha hitai ate tied around her arm was leaning towards her from a table away with a hand cupped beside her mouth. "Yes?" The girl blushed.

"W-Where did you get that dress?" She whispered, pointedly looking elsewhere. The boy next to her – _those pupil-less eyes, uncovered forehead –_ glanced over with a growing scowl.

"Izumi!" He scolded, frustration laced in his tone as if he had done so a million times before and the girl startled. "What did we speak about!"

"It was just a question, Hikaru!" She protested by a narrowing of his orbs shut her up. Yuu decided to answer anyway.

"I weaved it myself." Izumi's eyes lit up like she forgot all about the irate Hyuuga next to her and she leaned forward once again.

"Really?!" She gushed, now unashamedly roving over Yuu's body. "It's so nice!"

"A seamstress has no place here." Hikaru quipped, his nose lifted just a bit higher in the air.

Yuupika cocked her head. "I am no seamstress."

"Quiet back there," The proctor called from the front. "These walls aren't sound-proof."

Hikaru gave her one last slow look-over before seemingly deciding she wasn't worth further conversation, and turned away. Izumi smiled apologetically at her, scratching her head in a sheepish manner before taking after his example. _Ah, kids._

Yuupika laid her head down on the table, pretending to sleep as she observed the influx of genin, doing much needed scouting of their chakra and physical fitness. Time passed by quickly like this as she judged threat levels and mentally pitted herself against a number of the stronger looking teens. There weren't many girls for whatever reason, but the majority of them were similar to Izumi, thin and long and nothing like Yuupika herself, who was short with an unusally high amount of muscle tone. She scowled at the memory of living in the harsh wilds, being forced to survive in the most extreme climates. _It did me well, though. I doubt anyone here had to suffer through that._ The young kunoichi brushed off the idle speculation. There was bound to be more than a few boys would beat her in endurance, even after all her training and she knew this well – but she boasted unnatural speed and flexibility for her age, as well as hard experience. _Perhaps not as much as a chunin, but certainly more than these green-thumbs. Do they even know what it means to fight desperately for their lives? To struggle in vain, like I did, until…_

Yuu slowly lifted her head at a gentle poking on her arm, halting her train of thought in it's tracks and giving Izumi her attention.

"Another proctor is here!" Izumi whispered. "I think they're starting the second part of the exam." She shot her a grateful, if rather empty, smile.

"Thank you."

The girl hummed and faced the front, Yuupika following suit as she did a final sweep of the room. _Hm…only 44 genin? So…14 teams and some stragglers like myself? That's just about half of the original 32 teams._ She frowned a bit. _And it's only getting harder from here…_ A new, bulkier man with a cloth wrapped around his face cleared his throat, catching the attention of all the whispering contestants in the room.

In his gravelly, muffled voice, he spoke, "Congratulations on passing the first phase of the chunin exams. We will now proceed to the second phase. The man twisted his fingers in a quick succession of handseals and suddenly, the wall opposite to the one she came in through slid open and a passage revealed itself. Yuupika immediately spread her senjutsu throughout the system of caves beyond, marveling to herself the enormity of it. "This underground maze is rigged with various traps. Some of you won't make it out alive, so please sign these waivers," He raised a stack of papers in show. "Before proceeding. You have three days to make it to the other side. If anyone wishes to turn back now, this is your last chance." There was silence for just a second before a boy suddenly stood up, banging the table with a clenched fist.

"Damnit! I can't take another _three days_ in darkness!" His teammates lowered their heads shamefully, agreeing without words.

"Very well," The new proctor said, making some more handseals before the original wall opened. "Please wait to be escorted just outside the room." More and more genin slowly rose from their seats until eventually, only 24 remained. Yuupika watched them in silent wonder, almost a bit disbelieving at how the fickle the will of children was and how easily it was broken. With just a few words, their numbers had been halved _again._ Not even an hour in darkness and they retreated back to the light. _Amazing. Truly._

When a few minutes had passed and there were no more deserters, the bulky proctor straightened up and the lanky one behind him grinned wickedly, a total turnaround from his previous mein. "Now, that's more like it." He said as he got up and walked through the door, giving a mock salute. "Good luck, kiddos." He sped through handseals and then the original entrance closed. _There is no going back now._

"Alright." The bulky proctor drew attention back to himself. He lifted his fingers and all the waivers raised at once, floating towards the genin. Gasps abounded. _Chakra strings._ Yuu realized, her senjutsu honing in on the thin cords coming from his fingers. _He's a puppeteer, like Sasori. I would have pegged the other proctor for such an art though, this guy is really muscular for a long-range fighter._ "Please sign these with a blood print and then you are free to proceed." Without hesitation, Yuupika pricked her thumb on one of her teeth and squeezed some of her life liquid out, letting it collect to a considerale drop before pressing her finger down in the designated box on the bottom of the sheet. Others did the same as she rose to her feet, heart strangely speeding up as she brought it to the man.

"Much obliged." He said and she nodded as she stepped towards the cavern. _Okay. There's no telling what I'll find in there. But I should be able to see any traps just fine, so I'm sure I'll be alright._ She silently steeled herself. _I will make it to the other side, no matter what._

* * *

Truly, the whole underground system was awesome in size and the number of traps inside of it was even more awesome. Yuupika walked along the wall to avoid the floor of pressure plates that characterized this room, wincing as she heard a distant scream echoing. _Looks like people are already dying._ She sighed quietly and flipped off the wall, landing at the exit of the room and continuing forward without missing a beat. Her chakra kept her warm in the chill of the space she was in, molded the minimum amount towards fire nature in an attempt to keep her presence hidden. The stone under her feet was surprisingly smooth, she mused, not one irregularity for the past few hours she had been there. _I suppose this must have been carved out with a jutsu. Either water or earth. Suna was allied with Iwa at one point, so it's plausible that they helped make this maze. Water users are also somewhat common in Konoha, though I don't know of one who could do this besides Tobirama Senju, so it's also somewhat also plausible that Konoha had a hand in making this. Either way, I commend whoever did. This place is truly a masterpiece._

 _Well, at this pace, I should be at the exit in another few hours. I could rush, but I don't want to use up too much chakra. Who knows how many people might survive this. I don't want to be worn out in the event of preliminary matches._ Yuupika palmed the gem hanging from her neck and smiled softly _. I'm sure everything will be fine._

The vibrations of pounding feet reached her skin and the hum of chakra tickled her ears and immediately, Yuupika jumped upwards in the current opening she was in, sticking to the ceiling. She expanded the range of her senchakra behind her, paling at the sight of nine genin rushing towards her location. They reached her within half a minute, touching down with torches that looked suspiciously like table legs held in their hands. The pale green glow touched the far sides of the place and heat licked her back.

"Damnit! You said she was here, Shinji!" The boy in front fumed, rounding on another behind him. Shinji, a skinny boy with long hair, scowled.

"She is, you idiot! Somewhere…somewhere right around where we're standing, my sensing isn't all that good yet." He finished a bit lamely, pulling a couple shurikens from the weapon pouch strapped to his thigh.

"That bitch better be here. After what she did to Toshiro…I'll have her head!" A girl with frizzy hair clenched her fist in anger and Yuupika frowned a bit. _Toshiro…is she talking about one of those boys I took care of on the first floor?_ She scanned more closely over their persons, taking note of the Takigakure hitai ate tied in various locations. Yuu sighed mentally. _Oh great…there's nine of them and one is a sensor…can I take them?_

"Calm down, Shio, you'll get your chance to avenge your brother." Another boy patted her shoulder and she took a few deep breaths.

"She might be using a jutsu to hide herself. Come on out!" The leading boy called whilst thrusting his torch in front of him to get shed light on the further reaches of the cave. "Spread out," He commanded in a lower tone and the group obediently started to separate. They turned away from each other and Yuupika saw her chance. Quickly, she dropped down in the midst of them and grabbed the sensor's head, twisting it to dislocate it before lunging back up to the ceiling. Shinji cried out in pain as he dropped to the floor, and immediately they all turned towards him, gasping. Seeing another opening, she dipped behind the furthermost straggler, snapping their neck as well before returning to the ceiling. This one immediately passed out, unable to handle the wave of pain and his torch clanking on the floor was the only indicator that he had gone down. Yuupika breathed deeply to calm herself ( _just temporary, non-fatal, I don't really want to hurt them)._ Shio screamed in rage and drew a tanto, waving it around threateningly to the darkness beyond her.

"Come out, bitch! I dare you to face me!" She shrieked, making Yuu cringe and the other five beside her fished out their weapons as well.

"You coward," The leading boy spat, shuriken dancing between his fingers. "You can't even face us head on!" The group formed a tight circle, shoulder touching to cover each other's backs. _…naïve. Shinobi are cowardly creatures, don't you know?_ She licked her lips, pondering for a moment.

 _Perhaps…I could use a Zabuza tactic._

Yuu dropped down in the midst of the group once again, striking out with two fingers on both of her hands towards two spines, feeling the scrape of a blade passing over her robes at the same time. _Thank Kami for graphene._ She flipped backwards over one of the boys she paralyzed, landing some distance away. Shio snarled at her visciously, spinning her blade in her hands as the remaining genin faced her. _At least I got rid of four of them. Just five more to go._

" _You're gonna pay for that, you cunt!_ "

"Sorry," Yuu told her truthfully, disregarding her insult. _Nothing like Jungo._ "I don't want to hurt you."

Shio and another boy lunged in tandem, and Yuu sidestepped a tanto swipe, then ducked under the stab of a kunai aimed at her neck. A vision of a different, much older face with plump lips melded in with the boys and her breath stopped for a minute as she jumped backwards. _No. He's not here._

"Suiton: Water Bullets!" The leader shouted and a compressed ball of water came flying towards her, shearing the air with vibrations. Yuupika dodged, then rolled to the side to avoid two others, simultaneously evading Shio. The girl came at her relentlessly, the boy aiding her throwing punches and stabs at Yuu whenever he saw an opening. Shuriken came flying at her and the distant call of another jutsu made her propel herself towards the ceiling to avoid getting trapped in foggy water that had suddenly pooled under feet. _Troublesome._ Yuupika thought as she crawled away swiftly, avoiding another pair of shuriken. _The torches light up the cave too much, they can easily find where I am._ She touched down on the floor some meters away, blocking a strike from the boy with her hand and shifting to miss his kunai stab.

"Suiton: Water Bullets!"

Yuupika bent backwards to avoid the three balls that came at her in quick succession, and bent back even further to evade the tanto swing to her neck. Again, a flash of a different face took over her mind and balled her hand into a fist to keep it from shaking as she rolled away.

"Suiton: Gum Pool!" Yuupika just barely escaped again as another puddle of water appeared under her and she attached herself to the wall. Shio jumped up without hesitation, swinging at her again. _How annoying!_ _I can't take care of Shio unless those idiots in the corner stop throwing jutsu and shuriken at me! I don't know how long I can do this for…_

"All you can do is run, huh, bitch!" Shio mocked and Yuupika felt her temper slip just a little. _Shut up._ With a burst of chakra, she leaned forward into the girl's guard and struck out her hand at the base of her neck. _You'd know if I was really trying to kill you._ Shio choked, eyes bulging and Yuupika jabbed a few points on her sword arm to numb it before jumping backwards to evade a hail of shuriken where she once stood.

"Suiton: Raging River!"

A stream of liquid charged towards her from a waterskin that was slung over one of the boys' backs and she stepped away – only to run into a fist and lurch to the side. Yuu swiftly propelled herself backwards again, holding her abused cheek and spitting out a minimal amount of blood from where the skin inside ripped against her teeth. The boy who hit her grinned wickedly, his killing intent spiking and Yuupika frowned. Another boy quickly grabbed a coughing Shio and pulled her from the combat zone, towards where the jutsu and projectile group was revving up to fire at her again. Suddenly, three more signatures panged on the edge of her senjutsu range, running towards them at a fast pace. _Shit._ She felt the blood drain from her face a bit. _Are they reinforcements? More enemies? Neutrals? I…I can't face them all. I have to end this._ Yuu dodged another set of water bullets and blocked a hard kick. _…I have to do it…there's no other way._

 _'…_ _don't be afraid to use your gift…'_

She ground her teeth against each other as she evaded another punch to her neck, seeing _his_ face – and then she pushed her chakra outside of herself, causing a wave to spread out like a ripple towards the walls of the cave. She saw the horror on their faces straight away, and grimaced at the sound of their screams. Was it pain that they were feeling? Was it just shock and terror? She glanced at the four unconscious genin on the floor who were unaware of the way they were fastly becoming statues. _I'm so, so sorry._ The team heading towards her slowed a bit and Yuupika was glad they did so she could stay just a bit longer, watching with sick fascination at how they all became immortalized in stone within the span of a few seconds. She swallowed harshly. Then she ran.

* * *

Eventually, Yuu slowed down, taking deep breaths to calm herself. _Their faces…their screams…_ She shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut. _I can't think about that. Not now. Not now…_ Yuupika straightened her back, brushed off her robes, and retied her sash. _I must get to the other side._ A familiar set of chakra signatures entered her range, by some chance of fate, and she smiled weakly in relief. _Maybe it's best if I stick with others for a while. I can't get caught in that kind of situation again._ The young kunoichi sat down on the ground in wait of their arrival.

Soon enough, a disinterested voice reached her ears. "Seamstress." Hikaru greeted, his byuakugan eyes rimmed with buldging veins.

She smiled at him. "Hyuuga-san."

"Huh? What?" Izumi swiveled her head around, looking confused if there ever was such a feeling. The boy on the other side of her looked just as chicken-headed.

"The seamstress is seated inside of the room." Hikaru rolled his eyes as he informed the girl and she immediately brightened.

"Really?!"

"Yes, it's me. My name is Yuupika, by the way."

"I'm surprised you made it this far on your own, seamstress." The long-haired boy quirked an eyebrow at her, ignoring her polite correction and inviting her to explain. _Should have figured. Snooty Hyuugas…_

"I am accustomed to darkness." Hikaru stared at her oddly for a moment before turning and walking past her, the other two genin hanging off his sleeves cluelessly. Yuu rose and followed, proposing, "I'll watch your back if you watch mine."

"I suppose you'll do better than my useless teammates." He responded without missing a beat and the following outraged protests made her smile.

With subtle guidance that she provided, they made it out of the maze before her internal clock told her that night had fallen and Izumi rushed towards the light like she was bounding into heaven. "Freedom!" She screeched, and Yuu grimaced at the noise level. "Come on Hikaru! Seiji! Yuupika!" Yuu shook her head, spreading her senjutsu to see her disappear beyond the doorway and bump into-

"Oh! Hey, Itachi-kun!"

Yuupika froze.

"Izumi. Glad you made it through." A soft, pleasant voice floated into her ears.

"Yeah, you bet! I'm hungry, wanna go find something to eat?"

"S-Sure." The two pre-teens left, wandering towards the proctor to pester her.

"You coming?" Hikaru called back and Yuu forced her legs to move with a jolt, feeling like her whole body was made of jelly. _I…Itachi? Uchiha? No way…here?_

 _Is there any other?_

 _But, Izumi…that sounds familiar, now that I think about it, huh? That name…Izumi…Izumi…Izumi…Izu…IZUMI UCHIHA. OH MY KAMI._ Yuupika balled her hand to keep it from palming her own face. _How could I forget? Itachi's little girlfriend._ She considered this. _Well. Maybe not yet, he doesn't seem the type to work up all that courage. Never was good at conversation._ She giggled to herself despite the situation. _Anyways, it's no wonder I didn't recognize her, she had like two episodes of screen time! And I…can't exactly see the color of her hair and eyes…I guess she hasn't activated her sharingan yet? Surely, she would have used it in the tunnel system to see instead of hanging off Hikaru like that. On that note, an Uchiha and a Hyuuga on the same team? That's just…well, Izumi isn't like other Uchihas. If I remember correctly, she isn't even a proper part of the clan so, it's certainly plausible. They seem to work well enough together. But Itachi…_

 _He is…a prodigy. If I face him in the finals, will I survive? Will I be defeated? Is he better than I? Is he stronger, faster, more agile? I don't know…_ She sighed, sitting down with Hikaru and Seiji on a bench near the wall. _He's…about 10 now, right? Yeah. Two years older than me, more experience. What will I do? The only way I could possibly beat him is with my…senchakra._

 _And I surely can't do that. Kill Itachi Uchiha? No way. The plot – Naruto, Sasuke, Konoha, they need him. So…what will I do?_

"Excuse me, Yuupika-san."

Yuu was drawn out of her thoughts and turned to Seiji. The boy scratched his cheek with a fingernail, looking a bit indecisive. "Yes?"

"Um…why do you wear that blindfold? How can you see?"

She opened her mouth – then closed it. _How_ _can_ _I see? There's no way I can explain to them that I use senjustu. Ridiculous, that's just about my biggest secret._ "Wouldn't you like to know?" Yuu answered vaguely and Hikaru gave her calculating look.

"You were channeling chakra back in the caves," He recalled slowly. "Doujutsu?"

Yuupika shook her head with a laugh. _Ironic_. "No, I'm blind."

The Hyuuga's eyes morphed into a disbelieving glare. "Do you take me for a fool? There's no such thing as a _blind shinobi_." _That's where you're wrong, kiddo._ "Even now, your chakra is activated. Although, it is…of an odd quality."

"Well then, you caught me." She lied hastily and raised her hands in surrender, heart skipping a beat. "I do, in fact, have a special doujutsu. First of it's kind." Hikaru smirked in triumph.

"May I ask what it is?" Seiji butted in again.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She smiled – and tensed as she noticed Itachi's intense stare. But her tired body ached at the movement and it occurred to her just then how intensive her time in the tunnels was. Even when she was out of immediate danger, she still constantly did large-scale sweeps with her senjutsu and forced herself to stay alert. She refused to be caught off guard again. _But now, my adrenaline high is wearing off. Just like when I fought Jungo Kawatake._ "Well, I'm going to nap." She announced, stretching in an effort to make her body relax. "Look after me, won't you?"

Hikaru scoffed.

* * *

 _..._

 _"_ _Yuu?"_

 _She opened her mouth and sucked in a shallow breath in an effort to relieve the aching that plagued her chest and made her weak. She was so tired._

 _"_ _Yuu," He spoke, so low that she could barely hear him. Her name seemed the only thing he could say._

 _"_ _Forgive me…"_

 _..._

* * *

Again, there was a poking on her arm that roused Yuupika from slumber and she glared into the blackness before she activated her senjutsu and directed it at the perpetrator. Izumi shrunk back a little even though she couldn't see her full expression and laughed weakly.

"Hey…! Um, we're being assigning to rooms right now, so maybe you'd like to get up?"

The girl sighed. "Yes, of course. Sorry." _I'm grateful you got me out of that dream, anyway._

The Uchiha waved her hand in dismissal. "No, it's fine!"

Yuupika stood and followed the girl towards the front of the room, surprised that at this early morning hour there were still only five of them. _The others must not be having much luck. Well – wait. Hikaru left me when I asked him to watch over me! Really!_ She grumbled irritatedly to herself. _How rude! And I thought we came to an understanding! Anything could have happened to me when I was out and it's not as if the proctor was actively watching over us like last time… Gahh. Oh well. I didn't bring anything of value, except…_ She palmed the gem above her heart, feeling a tension release throughout her body. _Okay, good… And what did I really expect, anyway? I'm not from Konoha, even though I know so much about it. It's not like I'm even a comdrade. Ah – of course. I have to remember that. They don't know me like I know them._

"You okay?" Izumi, who was quite cute now that she really looked, hid a snort behind behind her palm and Yuu blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking out loud…" She muttered off to the side.

"Yuupika Uzumaki," The proctor called, a lady with short cropped hair and a stern face. The Konoha delegation straightened just a bit, shock resonating, and all eyes fell on her. Even Yuu was surprised a bit. _Uzumaki, huh? That's Nagato's last name._ Pride swelled in her chest. _Yes, that's Tou-san's last name. And it's mine too._ "Room 203." Yuu walked up to the table where the woman sat and received the key that was handed to her with a nod.

"See you, Izumi-chan." The young kunoichi departed with only those intoned words down the adjoining hallway, eager to escape the spotlight and catch a more restful sleep. She didn't do much more than a brief scan as she locked the door behind her before slumping onto the small bed.

* * *

…

 _She saw the horror on their faces straight away and grimaced at the sound of their screams. Was it pain that they were feeling? Was it just shock and terror? She glanced at the four unconscious genin on the floor who were unaware of the way they were fastly becoming statues. 'I'm so, so sorry.'_

 _A sorrowful whisper in her ear,_

 _"_ _Forgive me…"_

 _…_

* * *

The next couple of days passed without incident and Yuu was surprised to see only two more genin emerging from the caves, looking haggard, haunted and worn. _Only seven of us. No preliminaries. The darkness, the traps…what a truly brutal test._ The group of them stood now in front a robed man that looked all too much like the Gaara she remembered to be a coincidence.

"Congratulations on passing the second phase of the Chunin Exams." He remarked blandly, assessing them with his slanted orbs. "You bring your villages honor for coming this far. However, there is still one more test." The Kazekage pointed at Seiji. "One," He pointed at Hikaru. "Two." He pointed at Itachi. "Three." He pointed at a bulky boy with a meteor hammer hanging off his belt. "Four." He pointed at Izumi. "Five." He pointed at the boy next to her. "Six." He pointed at Yuu. "Seven. Remember these numbers. In the first match, number one will fight number two. In the second match, number three will fight number four. In the third match, number five will fight number six. Number seven gets a bye. In the fourth match, the winner of round one will fight number seven. In the fifth match, the winner of round two will fight the winner of round three. In the sixth match, the two remaining contestants will fight each other. Each round will be fought to the death or until your opponent surrenders. You have one month from today to prepare. Good luck." He lifted his hands and faster than most people can register, performed a string of handseals. Immediately after, a chunk of ceiling above him began to descend and he took a calm step forward to avoid being crushed. The genin gaped at the block of glimmering sand, Yuupika marveling the sheer amount of chakra imbued into it. _Whoa…just how big are his reserves? And without even breaking a sweat – so, this is the level of a kage…_ When it reached the floor, he strode onto it. "Please step onto the platform and we can return to the surface."

Eagerly, the genin complied and Yuu reveled in the warm of the sand beneath her bare feet. _I wish I could do this…how amazing!_ Slowly, the sand rose up and within the minute, the sun that Yuu didn't know she missed was beating down on her head again. Her senjutsu showed her the crowd of people gathered around them, expressions of disappointment, hurt, and resignation abounding and Yuu felt just a bit guilty that she had contributed to that. _It was me or them,_ She thought to herself. _I did what I had to in order to survive._ _Even though… No. Can't think about that now._ Curiously _,_ Itachi rolled on the balls of his feet and wasted no time in fleeing the primitive elevator as soon as it stabilized, making a straight beeline to –

 _OH MY KAMI._

 _K-KAKASHI?!_

The young kunoichi's head spun and she grabbed a tight hold of Izumi's shoulder to steady herself. The Uchiha girl observed her worriedly, wincing noticeably at the strength in Yuupika's hand – _but_ _holy fuck, that's THE Kakashi Hatake! What is he doing here?! What is going on?! I didn't…I haven't prepared myself for any interaction with them! I'm not supposed to see Itachi for another…three years! And Kakashi for longer! What the hell!_

"Yuu-chan? Is everything okay? Um, you're hurting me…"

She immediately let go at Izumi's pained whimper. "S-Sorry…I just…sorry." Yuu jogged away from her and over to where Kakuzu and Pain were waiting, desperately needing reassurance and longing to be back in Ame. _Did I really have to come here? Take these Chunin Exams? Why did Obito do this? Did he know Itachi was coming? Did he plan to pit me against him? Prodigy against prodigy? Why?_

Pain bent on his knee to envelop her in his arms, kissing her cheek. " _Princess..._ " She clutched him tighter when she saw the way Itachi spoke in Kakashi's ear and that lone eye flicker over to her in interest. Kakuzu stiffened beside them and shifted a bit to cover the embracing duo with his wide form.

"We should return." The miser urged and Pain hummed, sweeping her up into the air by the back of her knees and her waist.

"Indeed. You will take care of her for the next few days? I have something I must attend to."

"Of course, Leader-sama."

* * *

"I'm worried, 'Kuzu-chan." She confided that night, combing her hair that was still wet from a shower. Beside her, the former taki-nin frowned around his toothbrush.

"Hm?" He prompted and she sighed.

"One contestant – Itachi Uchiha. He's a prodigy, you know." Kakuzu nodded his acknowledgement. "I just don't know if im ready. And that's assuming I survive my first match with enough chakra to spare…"

The man spit out the toothpaste in his mouth. "Don't worry. Your victory is assured."

Yuu set the comb on the counter and leaned into his side. She enjoyed the way he let her, even welcomed the interaction in his own weird way. "How can you be so sure?"

"I don't believe in many things," He started, peering down at her. "I've learned that money and power are the only constants in this world. And yet," Kakuzu flushed slightly with chakra and flicked her nose. "You somehow always achieve the impossible." They stayed for a fleeting moment like that, and Yuupika felt something familiar overflow in her heart. She hoped her unspoken affection was present in her ever-unfocused eyes.

"It's late," Kakuzu finally commented. "You should get to bed."

"Yes," She agreed, outstretching her arms upwards and the miser picked her up automatically. _Just like old times – just like always._ "I suppose I should."

* * *

 _..._

 _Yuupika felt the dip in the bed, light and hesitant, and a warm, familiar body slowly draw near to her. A large hand fettered over her arm, touch unsure and she was uncertain of whether she even wanted it there. She lay on her side, lids open and cloudy orbs staring at the wall, her heart beating furiously and burning alike._

 _"_ _Yuu…" Obito breathed, and his voice was almost foreign, as she had not heard it so soft and longing for the better part of a year. He waited a mere moment more, seemingly discouraged by her silence, before he encased her in his arms. His hold was strong and while a shiver ran through her at the feeling of his skin so firmly pressed to hers and his muscled chest at her back, her throat tightened in anger_. _His lips brushed her hair in a kiss, his breathing strangely uneven. "Yuu…"_

 _The familiar burn of tears graced her eyes as they began to fall to the pillow quietly. She couldn't bring herself to move and return his embrace, her body limp like every bone was broken – in a way, it was. 'I don't know how to feel, I don't know how to handle this…'_

 _"_ _Yuu?"_

 _She opened her mouth and sucked in a shallow breath in an effort to relieve the aching that plagued her chest and made her weak. She was so tired. She had so many things to say._

 _"_ _I just need you to listen." Yuu choked out, feeling as though her throat was contracting with every word. Obito swallowed behind her, his fingers twitching. 'I missed you,' she realized suddenly in her head. 'Why?' It hurt more than she wanted it to. She hurt more than she ever wanted to. Yuupika wanted to curl into herself and hide away. 'Why do I need you so much?' She turned her face into the pillow, further away from where his soft, shapely lips were and closed her eyes. She didn't have the strength to speak, she was so enraged and so sad all at once. She had so many questions. 'Why me? How could you? Why did you? How does it make you feel to see me like this? How did you feel watching me struggle? Did you feel anything at all, Obito? Were you willing to watch me die?'_

 _"_ _I only ever loved you. All I ever did was love you…" Was the only thing that came out and she hated her treacherous voice for sounding so cracked, muffled as it was. There were a thousand things in her tone and she hoped he heard all of them and more. Vindictively, she wanted him to feel her pain. Was it so wrong of her? Yet at the same time, Yuupika wanted him to love her with everything he could muster and continue to hold her like this far into the night. His arms tightened around her, but no words came. Nothing. No comfort or apology, just silence responded to her and it made her brain throb. 'Why? Why? Why?'_

 _"_ _Yuu," He finally spoke, so low that she could barely hear him. Her name seemed the only thing he could say. Then the adult inside came to life, whispering things in her mind. The part of her that was Rosse began to list reasons and supply logical answers to her emotion-fueled questions._

 _'_ _Because you needed to mature,' she thought to herself. 'You needed to grow out of the childishness still left inside of you and see the world at it's ugliest points. You needed to understand pain and understand your enemy, even if your worst adversary was your friend. You needed to understand the gray inbetween the black and white and experience it firsthand to prepare you for what is to come. You needed to develop the ability to make a decision and carry it out with your own hands, no matter what might entail.'_

 _'_ _But why? I don't understand why…there had to be another way…'_

 _'_ _Of course there was another way. But that is the decision that Obito made and he carried it out to the end. You'll have to live with it.'_

 _'_ _But, nothing can ever be the same now.'_

 _'_ _It is already done.'_

 _Yuupika felt sick as he kissed her hair again and the tears streamed faster out of her, quickly soaking the pillow beneath. 'How do I handle this? How do I handle this…' Belately, she realized she was trembling. 'How can I love you and hate you at the same time? Stop! Get away from me, Obito! You're making me nauseous…'_

 _'…_ _but, don't let me go…promise me that…never again…please, take care of me…'_

 _Yuupika's felt increasingly hot, the room was just much too hot, and Obito's embrace was suffocating her at the same time it was filling the coldness inside with a lovely warmth. "Forgive me…" He murmured mournfully, and she bit her cheek so hard, it bled. 'How could I? How could I not? How could you even ask me such a thing? What am I supposed to say?'_

 _"_ _Forgive me…"_

...

* * *

Yuupika jolted awake, sweat dripping down her forehead. She immediately sucked in a deep breath, feeling strangled and tense like Jungo Kawatake's hand was still tight around her neck and she shuddered so hard that her ribs hurt.

 _No!_

Yuu sat up in her bed, hugging her knees tightly. _Why do I keep having that dream? That same memory…_ She activated her senjutsu slowly, gripping her own skin as if it was a lifeline until her eratic heartbeat began to steady and resume it's regular rhythm. _Is it really better than thinking about what happened in the caves?_ The vision of skin hardening with the wave of stone clouded her mind and she swallowed hard. _Just children. They were just children…_

A knock came at the door and she jumped slightly, startled at the sudden disturbance. Swiftly, she eased into a sitting position, straightening her clothes and smoothing down her hair before calling, "Come in!"

Kakuzu stepped halfway inside, gazing at her with a hint of worry. "You're sweating."

Yuu smiled weakly, knowing it didn't look sincere. "It's just a little hot, that's all."

The miser seemed miffed with her response, features contorted with dissatisfaction in the pale morning light, but chose not to pursue the topic. Yuupika was evermore grateful. "Well, hurry up and get ready."

"Why?" Her eyebrows furrowed a bit in confusion and she stood, wiping off perspiration.

"You're training with me for the next month."

* * *

A/N: "Water Style/Release" is lame and translating all those jutsu into Japanese is just such a chore. I apologize for my laziness.


	14. But Time Waits for No One

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long! I'm about to tell you why. :)

ALERT: I'M WORKING ON A NEW STORY!

I've always wanted to try out an antagonist-centered piece, ya know, so I'm finally doing it. Basically, it will be set shortly after the second ninja war. My OC, Chibaku, is born with Alexithymia, which basically is characterized by the inability to identify, process, and understand emotions. He won't be completely without feeling, it'll just be really hard for him to feel anything and he'll be extremely slow to emotion, even slower to understanding and accepting it. People with Alexithymia have also been known to, when properly riled, experience bouts of intense rage...

Warning: It's mainly adventure/drama/tragedy, but it's also Shounen-Ai, so if you don't like that, pleaasseee don't read it. The story isn't centered around romance, it's more of a comic relief aspect, so there won't be any explicit scenes, although the story will be rated 'M' for many darker aspects that'll be in there.

If you're interested though, please check it out when I post it!

Again, I apologize for taking so long to update DP! Please forgive me!

Disclaimers: Um. Kishimoto may own canon, but this plot and these OCs are totally mine!

* * *

They arrived at the secluded field around late morning, when the sun was most certainly high in the sky and they immediately set about making camp. Kakuzu had explained to her that he commissioned this specific splace for the nature of it's environment, strangely green in grass and trees with sand patches dusting along about every few meters. No should bother them, he said, for the next month, so he expected her to focus all her attention on him. At first, she had the urge to snort, because she remembered being just a little toddler again, bumbling around after him and chatting him up in the kitchen. They spent their days there and Yuupika gave him all of her time, effort, and affection. To some extent, she continued to do that because he was always in her mind, but when she went to sit down by the shade and he suddenly came at her with a fist, she immediately understood what he had meant. _Attention_ , _he says_ , _like adrenaline, speed, accuracy, precision, bloodlust. All on me. All on you. The world doesn't exist except for us._

The steel beams of limbs that he had sent waves of pain down her arms and legs where she could not dodge and was forced to block or be brutally assaulted. His eyes were calculating, assessing every movement and twitch, like he had never seen her fight before – and then it struck her that he _hadn't_ because she was gone for the better part of a year and her style had developed so drastically that he probably didn't even recognize it anymore. There was no relation to how it was before, in those few fleeting sessions he watched between her and Juzo before she was shipped away, and what it was now. Her face flushed, not from extertion, but from how her taijutsu dripped _Obito_ and she was faced with the full force of her embarrassment. Why? She didn't know why. Maybe because she was so similar to the man that was both her adversary and her friend and she still didn't know how she felt about that. Perhaps Kakuzu could wash it away soon.

Then, as suddenly as he began, he stopped and Yuupika jumped backwards to escape him, just in case. "Hmm." He rubbed his chin with two fingers. "You're too defensive, brat. You're style is based on evasion and you only strike when you need to. This is fine if you're evenly matched, but against an opponent with greater speed and strength, you need an appropriate way to take advantage of any openings. You need to be more confrontational." She wilted slightly at this, thinking of her match-ups. "It's as I expected." Kakuzu parted from her and made way back to their bags, pulling out a scroll and throwing it towards her. She caught it easily and rolled it open. _A seal of some kind. What for?_

"Channel some chakra into it," He ordered and she complied, touching her fingertips to the middle of the array. A second later, a staff popped into extistence, slapping against her unguarded palm and she gripped it automatically.

"What's this for?" She asked, staring at the wooden pole in confusion.

"What does it look like? I'm going to teach you bojutsu."

She blinked. "Eh?"

Kakuzu retrieved another scroll and with a tiny burst of chakra, a much longer bo came out. He twirled it in his hands comfortably a few times and then stabbed it into the ground. This baffled her. _Kakuzu uses weapons? Since when? I have never seen him have the need…he never did this in the manga! Or the anime!_ Yuu absently discarded her scroll as well, tossing it into the bushes. _This…This is where Kishimoto let the plot fall through, isn't it? Where he failed to give depth to Kakuzu's character. This skill is one of those in betweens where no light was cast upon his mysterious darkness._

"Come at me."

She swallowed, her palms clammy as she tried to find the correct position to balance out it's weight while she held it. "Um…" _I know nothing about bojutsu! Absolutely nothing!_ And Yuu _hated_ not knowing. Perhaps if he had suggested kenjutsu…she still remembered her lessons with Juzo, even if she hadn't been practicing.

"Well?" Kakuzu jeered. "We haven't got all day."

Yuupika clutched the staff a bit tighter and decided that she'd treat it somewhat like a spear for now. She ran at him with one end pointed straight at him, intent on forcing him to block and causing some brusing damage, but when she came upon him and jumped, thrusting the thing towards his chest, he simply lifted an arm and brushed it aside. Her jaw dropped at the same time that he caught her stomach with an open-palmed strike and she went flying back. Her body rolled once – twice, until it came to a full stop in a ditch of sand and she gagged at the feeling of grains all in her mouth. She spit on the ground several time as Kakuzu sighed.

"No good," He told her as he tossed the staff at the ground near her feet. "Come at me with the intent to kill. You'll never get anywhere if you don't."

 _Now don't those words seem familiar…and why does everyone always push me around during training?! I'm starting to see a trend here._ Yuu frowned as she spit out the last clump of sand in her mouth and grabbed the staff once again, standing to her feet. _With the intent to kill…_ She positioned both her hands more towards the center this time, testing the stability of her hold. _Can I charge Kakuzu with that intent? Someone who is so close to me?_ She looked up into his waiting face, stressed with lines of impatience. _Maybe if I thought of him as someone else?_ Yuu slowly projected an image in her mind, superimposing his features with those Jungo's and soon found breathing just a tinge harder. _Right there…he's right…_

She felt urgency all of the sudden and anger tenfold of what she was used to as a vision of one lifeless Kazuki resurfaced and Yuupika gritted her teeth harshly, using chakra to burst forward from her spot. Dust kicked up behind her and a smirk on that face across the way were the only things her eyes could focus on. Fleetingly, she thought she should see a therapist. Yuu held the staff horizontal in front of her when she met him finally and his own staff was held in a similar fashion to ward off her attack.

He pushed her away with his superior strength and she used chakra to balance herself on the ground as she skid back, then darted once more towards him.

* * *

Yuupika fell back onto the ground, panting like she had just been drowning. Bruises like dark rings decorted her body in a random pattern, where she could not dodge Kakuzu's harsh thrusts and parries. He was so _proficient_ with the bo that it surprised her. She hadn't expected him to be able to do so much with so little movement, despite her raging charge at him and the way she kept it up for a good portion of the few hours they trained with their staffs. He was no slouch, she realized, even though she knew it already and then she considered that her time seeing him play gentle (if exceedingly awkward) father figure might have dulled her perception of how good a fighter he really was. He was so versatile and it honestly surprised her enough to be embarrassing.

"How…" She croaked, a little irked at the way he was smirking. "How are you so good at this?"

"Practice," He stated, stabbing his bo into ground for the first time in a few hours. Then, in a quieter voice, "The Bo was my main weapon as a shinobi of Takigaure." Yuupika swallowed at the subject suddenly turned serious, feeling curiosity and uncomfortable pressure alike on her heaving chest.

"Oh." She said lamely, cursing her brilliant brain for once at it's emptiness. Kakuzu looked off into the distance, the crease in his brow deep and Yuu grasped at straws in the silence. He never really talked about his past – neither the manga nor the anime talked about it either. "Was it hard?" She finally asked, raising herself into a sitting position. He considered this for a moment.

"Yes. My hands were often very sore."

"Oh," She swept a piece of sticky hair behind her ear, enjoying the breeze that graced her skin. "How long did it take you?"

"Decades." Then he smirked again and she was ever so happy that his voice took on a lighter tone, the heavy atmosphere dissipating. "There are few, if none, that are better than I to have as a teacher. You're lucky, brat." Yuupika giggled and hoisted herself shakily to her feet, using her staff as a crutch. Her muscles ached from exertion, her chakra was low, and she was numb in a plethora of places, including her stiff fingers. But she got up, taking a stance she copied off of Kakuzu in confidence.

And they kept going.

* * *

The month passed by quickly, as all months do, Yuupika supposed. She scanned over the hard lines of Kakuzu's covered face as they walked into the arena, watching his eyes flit this way and that. She had already mapped out the place well before they arrived, but seeing him so cautious and protective of her, one hand firmly on her shoulder to hold her close to him, Yuu couldn't bring herself to say so. His behavior caused a stir of warmth inside her chest that she held onto jealously. So what if he was stressing himself out over nothing? He could bear with this a little longer. On her other side, Pain held her small hand in his impossibly large one, rubbing her knuckles comfortingly with his thumb. She was constantly surprised by his size, it hit her every time they drew close to one another that she was still _just a little girl,_ no matter the constant musings of her mind in science that most people would never understand in the entirety of their lifetime. She was eight years old, amazingly. She wondered if that number would ever really mean the same thing to her as it did when she was truly a child, eager to grow older and experience the world.

Yuupika observed the focused gaze of Hikaru on her person, his pupil-less eyes assessing her with a hard fervor and for a moment, she felt uncertain. Unready. Ill-equipped. Unprepared. _He'll want to engage me in taijutsu, his clan's specialty. Taijutsu, what he has trained to master since he could walk. Can I really face him…?_

Yuupika pushed the thought away, squeezing Pain's slim fingers. _I will._

Pain turned to her, getting down on a knee and Yuu stepped into his arms immediately. "I'll be going now, Princess." He whispered, kissing her forehead with chakra-warmed lips. "Do well." She nodded and in the next moment, he was gone, startling those in the viewing box for nobles as he suddenly appeared in his seat with a shunshin. She bit back a giggle at his flair for the dramatic and walked with Kakuzu up to the balcony of contestants. Izumi ran over as soon as Yuupika appeared above the steps, arms flailing wildly.

"Yuu-chan! Yuu-chan!" She came to a stop in front of her, either valiantly ignoring Kakuzu's piercing eyes or completely ignorant to them. _Impressive. Or stupid. Somehow, I believe the latter more._ "Where have you been? I was looking for you all over town, I wanted to invite you out to dinner with my friends!"

The girl smiled, a light blush heating her cheeks. "Well…I appreciate that very much. However, I was training. I trust you have as well?"

Izumi nodded fervently. "Yeah! Like you wouldn't believe! I'm totally pumped for my match!"

"I'll cheer for you."

The Uchiha beamed at that. "Well, thanks! You too! Hikaru is a total pain!" Said boy whipped around, his low ponytail smacking Seiji across the cheek.

"Izumi!" He exclaimed, his tone reproachful and she jumped as Seiji rubbed his face grudgingly.

"Whoops!" She laughed weakly, scratching her head. "Didn't know you were listening… Well, anyways, good luck!" Yuu bowed lightly as the other girl rushed back over to her teammate and began spouting sheepish apologies.

"A friend of yours?" Kakuzu questioned with a lifted brow.

"Ah…something like that."

His stare was so judgemental for the span of a few seconds that Yuupika didn't even know what to do with herself. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Well…you're still young." The miser guided her to the railing that overlooked the arena below, just in time for the Kazekage to rise from his seat in his box and begin his speech.

"I thank you all for your attendance today," His voice was a loud echo that effectively silenced the crowds. "It is Suna's honor to host the Chunin exams this year, and it is our sincere hope that you have…"

Yuu tuned him out, opting instead to indulge her morbid curiosity and take an idle sweep of Itachi and Kakashi. She had ignored their existence up until that point, thanking Kami himself for Kakuzu's threatening presence to ward off any approaches they may have attempted, but now she was hyperaware of the glances that Kakashi sent her way. Itachi was riveted by the words of the Kazekage, lean hands clasped around the metal of the pole in front of him and soft eyes attentively following the shape of the man's mouth. _Wow. Those…those eyelashes!_ Yuu tensed. _No, don't get distracted! Now is not the time! I'm going to fight him soon!_

A bandaged man shunshin'd out to the middle of the sandy pit and Yuupika realized with a small start that the third phase had officially begun.

* * *

Hikaru charged Seiji as soon as the proctor jumped back to give them space, hands flaring with angry chakra. Seiji flipped back, narrowly missing a strike to his kneecap that Yuu was sure would have shattered it. His limbs were flooded with chakra in an effort to keep himself away from Hikaru, who continued to assault him mercilessly. More than once, his hands went towards his pouch, but he was always blocked from grabbing whatever it was he wanted as Hikaru began to speed up. _What beautiful chakra manipulation, the way it spins in his palm…Juuken is so graceful._ And did she really expect otherwise? His arm was suddenly disabled, and then the other, and within a few short minutes, Seiji's stomach was struck and he spluttered painfully, falling to the ground. Medics rushed out onto the field as the proctor called the match, eyeing the boy warily, then shaking his head – and Hikaru just watched, dispassionate eyes flickering up to hers in silent challenge. Yuu frowned slightly at how harsh he was with his teammate, but didn't react otherwise to his obvious taunt. _It wouldn't do to get riled up. He didn't reach his swiftest speed with Seiji – so, how fast is he really?_

The Hyuuga came back up to the balcony shortly and the next contestants filed down. Excitement raced through her. _This is something I want to see. Hopefully I can conjure a plan if Itachi showcases some of his skill._ The Uchiha stood across from the bulky boy with a blank face. The boy smirked at him, grasping the handle of his weapon and flicking his wrist to make the chain fly in circles with the spiked ball at the end threateningly spinning along. The proctor called the beginning of the match and Itachi immediately flashed his sharingan, not even moving. Strangely, the boy cried out and after a moment, began striking in random places before wrapping himself up in his own chain, a victorious grin on his face. _This…this is just the same thing he did with Deidara, isn't it? Genjutsu is a powerful thing._ The crowd began to boo, displeasure clear at the lack of any real action and Yuu let out a short chuckle. _Not many people share the same sentiments, it seems. But, he made his prowess with the sharingan known which is sure to bring more business to the Uchiha and Konoha in turn. Smart move._ Itachi shunshin'd behind the genin and held a kunai to his neck and dutifully (although with a weary sigh), the proctor called the match. When Itachi released the genjutsu on the boy, he went into a snarling rage as he realized just what had transpired, face flushed with chakra and yelling indignantly. Yuupika saw a flash of something other than chakra and tomoes in the Uchiha's eyes then, something that looked suspiciously like amusement. Although she was still more nervous than ever to face him, Yuupika had to hold back a laugh.

"Go freshen up in the bathroom." Kakuzu spoke suddenly and she craned her neck towards him in confusion. "Your match is coming soon." A thrill of anxious energy went down her spine at that. _He's right. Hikaru Hyuuga, taijutsu specialist against me…what do I specialize in? I guess taijutsu as well._ She shuddered while wishing Izumi a friendly 'good luck' as the girl raced down the stairs towards the arena for her match. _I wish I knew some jutsu…_

* * *

Too soon. Her match had come far too soon. Hikaru stood across from her, his gaze cool. Yuupika's heart pumped loudly. _I can't let him hit any of my tenketsu._

"Ready?" The proctor asked, for formality more than anything. Hikaru nodded, taking a stance and Yuupika did as well, unsealing her bo from her pouch. _Hopefully…hopefully this is enough._ "Haijime!"

The Hyuuga flew at her, hands outstretched and chakra spinning like whirlpools in his palm and Yuupika…

Yuupika was surprised at the ability of her body, automatically sidestepping his hasty assault even though her nerves were frying with anxiousness. Hikaru's eyes widened, activating as he spun around to face her and charge once more. Again, she sidestepped him and his face flushed with chakra.

 _Is this because of Obito? Jungo? Kakuzu? All of them, their speeds were far greater than that of my current opponent…_

Hikaru came at her for the third time and instead of dodging him, Yuu decided to weave through his attacks, testing her own ability in the process. The older boy's anger was clear in his eyes and his attacks became more rapid and numerous. _Dodge left, right, duck, bend sideways, deflect at the wrist – the way his chakra moves is quite fascinating – jump over the kick, bend backwards, lean forward, sidestep._

The Hyuuga came to a stop but a meter away. _Amazing…he hasn't even touched me…_ His body stiffened, chakra surging through him and with an alarmed gasp, Yuu recognized the way that it built up in areas where tenketsu lay. She leapt away, just barely missing his Kaiten, and stuck her pole in the ground, standing atop it warily. Hikaru's eyes narrowed when they rested on her once more.

 _I can't get hit by that, I have to be in perfect shape for my fight with Itachi. And I don't know when he'll pull it out again, which means no more close quarters…_ She frowned as he began to leisurely walk towards her. _I don't really have any ninjutsu or long range techniques though...but, maybe if I can take him by surprise, I can knock him out quickly._

 _So, I'll have to take care of that Byakugan._

Her hand dipped into her old foxskin pouch, unsealing the fistful of flash powder and small acorns that she was hoping to save for her next round, and she flung it towards him. Hikaru cried out in pain, immediately deactivating his doujutsu and Yuu tensed in preparation to lunge – but stopped herself at the last second as he spun around once more in a Kaiten. She gritted her teeth.

 _Damnit! I just wasted one of my only tools. He knew my intentions. If I jumped at him,I would have gotten a faceful of chakra. So much for that…_

When Hikaru finally came to a stop, the glare he sent at her could have boiled water. "Coward." He spat.

Yuupika didn't deign the insult with an answer, instead observing the tiny bead of sweat running down his forehead. _He's running out of chakra._ She realized. _That technique must be costly. If I can just get him to use Kaiten a few more times, he'll be done for. But that would require me to get in close again with taijutsu or bojutsu and I barely got out of the way last time…I don't know if I can really risk that…_ Yuupika shifted her weight on top of the staff, holding his eyes through her blindfold.

"Come down from there…" He began, his chakra building behind his palm. _It's swirling faster than before…more force…_ "And fight me!" He thrust his hand out, confusing Yuu for only a moment until she saw the wide wave of pure chakra surging towards her. _Fast! I can't dodge it!_ Hastily, she lunged into the air, evading the air palm that knocked her bo backwards and well out of her range. Hikaru smirked triumphantly and charged and with a spike of panic, Yuupika realized that she had nowhere to go but down…where the Hyuuga would be waiting for her. Would she be in his field of divination? Would she have to use her senjutsu to get her out of this and kill this boy? _Fuck!_ Yuu's flight reached it's peak and she began to descend. _I've…I've got to do something! I have to make it to the next round!_ Closer and closer the ground came and Yuu blinked as she remembered the acorns that she had thrown earlier. _Senjutsu…that's right! I DO have another choice!_ With a precise, concentrated wave of nature and yin chakra, Yuupika targeted the seeds lying in the sand beneath her.

* * *

 _"_ _What?" She raised her eyebrow incredulously._

 _"_ _Senjutsu promotes advanced healing in your body, no? Healing and growth. Then there should be no reason as to why it can't promote healing and growth in the world around you. You just need to learn how to manipulate it properly, child."_

 _Yuupika frowned thoughtfully. 'It makes sense, but…I've never tried to manipulate nature chakra. I just let it flow through me. Manipulating it could turn me to stone…' "What do you suggest?" She muttered unenthusiastically._

 _Kakuzu rubbed his chin, glaring off into the distance. "Try pushing your chakra outside of you, just to a patch of grass. We'll see from there." Yuu placed her fingers on the warm blades in front of her and let the soothing tendrils of senjutsu flow through the tips, feeling especially disheartened when the flora wilted and blew away as dust in the wind._

 _"_ _Well, that sucked." She muttered, then Kakuzu flicked her nose. "Itai!"_

 _"_ _Try it again – this time, mix in your yang chakra."_

 _Yuupika steeled herself silently, ceasing the minute trembling that threatened to overtake her limbs as she began to channel chakra again. The sensation of her yang and nature chakra flowing together felt like the rushing flow of a hot river, roaring to life in rapid motion. She gasped, shuddering as she released it into the area around her – and then a large circle of death spread towards Kakuzu, causing him to shunshin away to evade it. She stopped immediately; but the damage had been done. Her eyes widened at the sight, the dozens of meters of healthy grass floating up as microscopic particles into the atmosphere. 'This is…so much faster than before…i-it makes sense, I guess. Yang chakra and nature chakra are both purely physical. So it just amplified the effects…?'_

 _"_ _Yuupika." 'Kakuzu!' Her head snapped up in his direction, an apology on her lips, but he spoke before she could voice it. "Yin chakra now." She nodded as she took a deep breath._

 _'_ _He's still standing all the way over there…I feel guilty.' In a more subdued manner, she molded her chakra again – this time, it felt like a cool summer stream, peaceful and free, caressing her coils as she let it seep into soil around her._

 _The effects were immediate._

* * *

Two trees sprouted to life like lightning, the trunk coming up to just over eight feet to meet her bare foot and up in his box, the Hokage bolted up from his seat in shock.

Gasps shot through the crowd as Yuupika pushed off of the first tree with all her strength, launching herself sideways at the same time that Hikaru used gentle fist to blast through the second one. She landed behind him on her hands, twisting her lower body into a powerful, chakra enhanced, upside down kick that caught Hikaru on the back of the neck as he pivoted around to face her. The Hyuuga flew forward, eyes rolling back as he faceplanted onto the ground with enough force to cause a cloud of sand to explode upwards. Yuu jumped back, landing several meters away. The whole arena was silent for a few moments, nobody even breathing as the wind took the cloud away, revealing an unconscious, limp Hikaru.

"Winner: Yuupika Uzumaki!" The proctor yelled and then everyone burst into cheers. Yuu let out a shaky breath and smiled up at the stands, waving her hand weakly. "Please clear the arena for the next match." The bandaged man told her and she nodded at him in acknowledgement before retrieving her bo and walking slowly back towards the stairs. Kakuzu met her there, a smirk stretching his face underneath the cloth mask as he ruffled her long hair.

"Good job, brat."

Yuupika smiled up at him, using her full set of teeth to express her gratitude and the miser's hand slid to her back, pushing her gently along. Her heart felt light for but a minute – until Itachi and Kakashi came into view, both walking slowly down the stairs – and then it constricted. The copy nin was smiling, his book nowhere in sight, mask stretching as he told her,

"Good match,"

Her tongue struggled to work, so she just nodded robotically and hurried past them, Kakuzu striding closer to her than before. She took comfort in his presence, though her thoughts were racing. _They don't think I have the mokuton now, right? Maybe it would be better to explain to them that I use nature chakra instead of letting them believe I harbor one of their precious bloodlines? My new surname doesn't help things at all…ugh, what a nightmare! And I wanted to remain anonymous!_

"Calm down," Kakuzu commanded, leading her to one of the corners of the viewing balcony. He pulled her to him, shifting his robes so that she was covered by them and out of sight. "Just calm down." He murmured lowly this time, fingers brushing across her cheek and over her lips. A small ball was pushed into her mouth. "Chew this." Yuu obeyed silently and ate the bitter substance, immediately feeling her chakra overflow and muscles flood with relief. _A soldier pill?_ The girl looked up at him questioningly. _Isn't this cheating?_

"I put it in your pouch yesterday. Technically, it was already part of your supplies."

She smirked, despite herself. _How sneaky._ Down below, the proctor called the beginning of the match and Yuu watched idly with her senchakra, cuddling into the welcoming embrace of the former taki-nin. _Izumi didn't stand a chance against this water-natured guy. I wonder how Itachi will fair…_

And of course, the match was over in a matter of minutes. Genjutsu, kenjutsu, and speed provided Itachi with an easy win, showing that he was leagues above his opponent. The boy was knocked out with a sharp hit to the back of his head, provided by the butt of Itachi's ninjato (that Yuu was surprised he could carry) after the Uchuha shunshin'd behind him while he was caught in a genjutsu. _He really likes getting behind people._ Her adult mind giggled lecherously and she felt her face heat up even as she pushed a few inappropriate images away. Yuu felt lucky that she was immune to genjutsu, lucky that Kakuzu had trained her in bojutsu, and even luckier that her robes were woven with graphene. The girl didn't know if she could keep up with the prodigy in terms of speed, especially since he had use of the shunshin and was friends with the fasted shunshin user alive, but she had already made it this far – all she could do now was try her best.

When it came time to face him, Yuu opted to flip off the balcony railing after kissing Kakuzu's cheek and use a thin layer of chakra to soften her landing. She took her place in front of Itachi, who still had his sharingan activated, and breathed deeply to slow the pace of her racing heart. The spectators cheered loudly. _All I can do is try._

"Ready?"

They nodded simultaneously, Itachi unsheathing his blade as she unsealed her staff.

"Hajime!"

The two flew towards each other and met steel-to-wood in the center of the arena. She felt the influx of chakra over her, the preteen trying to cast genjutsu as his sword began to heat with fire nature. Yuu quickly molded her chakra towards water and channeled it into her staff, marveling the way his spinning, three tomoe assessed the now dripping wood and the way his muscles tensed. He shunshin'd behind her and she ducked to avoid a kick that made the air whistle, rolling in the same move to gain distance. Itachi lunged forward and Yuu tossed the last of her acorns at him in an attempt to psych him out.

It worked – he deactivated his sharingan and jumped back, giving her time to settle into a stance. The Uchiha blinked and reactivated his doujutsu, eyeing the small seeds on the ground before looking back at her. She smiled placidly, then charged him. _Block, thrust, spin, thrust, block, push, block, thrust, push, spin._ They danced with their weapons for a heated few minutes, Yuu feeling the vibrations of pants, hearing the whistle of metal cutting the breeze, and world wheedled down to only the opponent opposite of her, straining under the strength of her chakra enhanced moves and constantly trying to bathe her in genjutsu.

They both retreated to a distance, suddenly and Yuu took a short moment to refamiliarize herself with the world. A tingling on her neck made her eyes widen and Yuu whirled around just in time to block a swipe from a second Itachi that probably would have decapitated her. _Fuck! A shadow clone! He made it without seals!_ The original Uchiha sped through handsigns, yelling out,

"Katon: Phoenix Flower!"

Yuupika used a large, precise burst of chakra on her feet to propel herself backwards swiftly to dodge the multitude of bird-like blasts, meeting the original Itachi in a battle of weaponry once again. He thrust his sword towards her shoulder and she deflected it with the end of her staff, quickly bringing the other end up to block another strike from the second Itachi. She infused wind-natured chakra into her limbs just to be able to keep up with the both of them. Several times, the blades scraped across her clothes and Itachi kept stealing glances at her form, surprise in his orbs at the lack of blood and or tear. The original flipped backwards, giving Yuu the chance to kick the clone harshly on the neck and dispel it as he shouted a quick, "Kai!"

He chakra flexed and he came at her again with renewed vigor, his sword strikes more viscious as he tried to land _something_ on her. Yuu poured more wind chakra into herself, sweeping up some of the sand around her as she went on the offensive, determined not to let him. Neither of them had landed a clean hit – that is until Yuu decided ignore a slash across her torso to thrust the butt of her staff towards the center of his forehead, splitting the skin nastily there with her strength and speed. Itachi stumbled back a few steps, then shunshin'd a short distance away, holding his head gingerly. Blood seeped through his fingers and his eyes were ever widened in disbelief that she had yet sustained no injury. His gaze flickered up to hers, guarded, but with a silent question. ' _How?'_

Yuu smiled vaguely. _Wouldn't you like to know?_ The Uchiha sheathed his ninjato and in turn, she sealed her staff and they both dropped into an easy stance. Then, his hands once again blurred through seals.

"Katon: Dragon Flame Bullet!"

The enormity of the blazing flame that rushed towards her was truly incredible, the girl mused for a moment, before flooding herself with an excess of earth natured chakra, weaving it into her very cells, and dropping into the earth. She knew it wouldn't fool him for long, not really since it wasn't even a technique, just a mimicry of Zetsu's 'Mayfly', but as long as Itachi was powering his jutsu, perhaps he wouldn't notice in time.

Yuupika flowed through the particles of dirt under the layer of sand, completely one with them, underneath the stream of fire that was pouring through his lips and all the way up to his feet, emerging from the ground in an upwards kick. To his credit, and Yuupika's amazement, he just barely leaned back to dodge it, the torent of flame abruptly cut off in shock. Itachi wasted no time throwing a punch that Yuu deflected, then jumped back to perform more seals.

"Katon: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

 _For Kami's sake, how many of these techniques can he spit out?!_

Large balls of fire came rocketing towards her and Yuu bent her body uncomfortably to evade them, feeling the scorching heat through her clothes as she leapt about like an acrobat.

"Katon: Grand Fireball!"

 _What the hell._

"Katon: Grand Fireball!"

 _Seriously?_

"Katon: Phoenix Flower!"

 _Fuck!_ One of the bird-like flames grazed her leg and she winced in pain at the feeling of the skin there blistering. Itachi paused for a moment to glance at it.

"Katon: Phoenix Flower!"

 _Why has no one taught me any jutsu yet?! This is ridiculous! I'm going to strangle Obito when I get back!_

"Katon: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

 _Fuck!_

"Katon: Dragon Flame Bullet!"

She was just a tinge slow to dodge this time and the back of her hand and part of her wrist caught the end of the flame, leaving her with first degree burns.

"Yield." Itachi spoke and Yuu shook her head. _Never._ The boy regarded her for a swift moment before charging towards her on foot and Yuu gladly met him. His fist swung wide and she blocked it without a second thought – gasping at the way the tender flesh on her wrist seared in protest and Itachi took the momentary distraction to land a solid kick on her stomach, sending her skidding backwards. _Sly bastard…_ Itachi flipped out a kunai and Yuu had a particularly nasty idea in that moment, molding lightning chakra and channeling it through her arms when he came at her again, mixing the yin half with nature. To his surprise, when he guided the kunai in a sweep towards her, she met the metal with her fist, turning it instantly to stone and shattering it to pieces. Her momentum took her into his guard as he closed his eyes to protect them from tiny shards and, pulling back the nature chakra, her sparking knuckles were able to smash into his nose with a sick _crunch._

The Uchiha flew back with the force, spasming for a moment before flipping on his hands to right himself into a wavering stance and his hand came up to gingerly prod his face. _Definitely broken_. She allowed a small smirk at the grotesque sight of his crooked nose and the blood freely flowing from it. That, combined with the nasty gash on his forehead, made an intense feeling of pride swell in her chest.

 _Huh…his eyelashes don't look so pretty when the rest of his face is beaten up._

It was then that her exhaustion made itself known. Yuu's knees trembled uncertainly, something that was not lost on Itachi, and the lack of blood in her head made her dizzy for a fleeting instant. _I'm running out of chakra._ Panic seized her for a moment – until she noticed the same symptoms in the preteen as well. She sniffed the air, taking in the scent of sweat that made his hair stick to his jaw and the short, harsh falls of his chest, the way he fisted his hands to keep the shaking at bay. Yuu smiled. _This is our last stretch._

 _Will you try for a few more techniques? Or will you engage me in taijutsu again?_

In the blink of an eye, Itachi pulled out a handful of shuriken and threw them, forcing Yuu to quickly unseal her bo and bat them away. He dipped back into his pouch with both hands and retrieved more, sending them out in quick succesion. Yuupika spun her staff so fast that it blurred, using it as a shield to prevent the sharp projectiles from reaching her. Kunai were next, coming like a hailstorm and Itachi rushed in behind them, flying in a kick at her neck. She sidestepped it, deflecting a punch in the next moment and feeling the familiar wash of a genjutsu uselessly trying to overtake her. She blocked a kick to her midsection by bringing up her leg – and then instantly regretting the way the burn there caused her to gasp and shudder. Itachi's killing intent spiked and he shunshin'd behind her, a kunai rushing forth.

Time seemed to slow down as his arm began to snake around her shoulder, intending to hold the sharp tool to _her neck_ and forefully make her surrender. A rush of unexpected adrenaline coursed through her veins and her brain rested on a single image. Yuupika used a large chunk of her dwindling chakra to imbue herself with wind and her own arm shot up her torso and over her shoulder, the chakra swirling wildly in her palm – _like Hikaru Hyuuga, smashing through the trunk of that tree –_ and she reached back, slapping the middle of Itachi's split forehead.

The Uchiha stumbled back, kunai falling from his hand as his sharingan flickered off, ebony orbs unfocused in their wake, and with a sharp breath, he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Silence.

"Winner: Yuupika Uzumaki!"

The crowd roared their approval, both Uchiha and Hyuuga wide-eyed at the display. Medics ran onto the field with a stretcher, a woman in chunin garb not unlike the proctor's immediately fretting over her burns. Soothing, green chakra swept over the damaged skin and within minutes, it looked as fresh and healthy as it did before the fight. Someone urged her to sit and she found her butt planted in a wheel chair, a disgruntled frown marring her face at how often she seemed to end up in one. Pain and Kakuzu touched down in front of her, startling the woman still doing diagnostics and with a hard glare, the miser sent her away. Pain cradled her face in his hand.

"I'm proud of you."

Yuupika thought that maybe she should be alarmed by how quick tears were to spring to her eyes and how readily she leaned into his warmth. Kakuzu ruffled her locks affectionately, his words in the depths of his iris' and she felt blissful in his silent support. _I love you guys._

The Hokage and Kazegake appeared some meters away in a shunshin, Kakashi following not a moment after with his nose in _Icha Icha_ , inviting himself.

Pain turned towards them. "Ah, Kazekage-sama, Hokage-sama." He greeted with a tip of his head and Yuu found herself shuddering in a weird, prideful pleasure at how the three men were stiff in his presence. "A pleasure."

"Likewise," The Hokage spoke first, smiling amicably. "I'm afraid I don't quite recall your name."

Pain stared unblinkingly at the Sarutobi, then stated, "I am the Amekage," He laid his hand on Yuu's shoulder. "This is my daughter, Princess of Ame."

"Ah, Amegakure. Yuu-sensei is a native, yes?"

"Yes."

The Kazekage rested his eyes on her. "Congratulations on your victory, Amehime." She didn't so much as nod in thanks before he focused back on Pain. _Jeez, how rude!_ "I would be delighted to hear of your arrival personally if you should decide to visit again. You're welcome in the Kage box come next exams."

Pain nodded once in acknowledgement and after a moment of silence and uncomfortable, testosterone-induced staring, Yuupika tugged on Pain's sleeve. "Tou-san." He looked down at her, a gentle squeeze urging her to continue. "Should I wait for you at the hotel?"

The corner of his lip quirked upwards and he shook his head. "No, I will accompany you." He moved gracefully behind her and grabbed ahold of the handles on her wheel chair, then nodded towards his fellow kages. Yuu and Kakuzu gave a more substantial bow and then they were on their way, the subject of many curious gazes.

* * *

"Tou-san?"

"Hm?"

Yuupika traced his jawline idly with a wandering finger, breathing in his familiar scent of rain and ink at their close proximity. He shot her a small smile, eyes only straying from his book for a second. "I missed you. Why were gone for so long?"

The man considered this for a moment, shifting a bit on the bed. "I had something very important to take care of." Yuu wondered if he was spying on Gaara, an uncomfortable stirring in her stomach.

"I missed you," She reiterated softly and he pressed an affectionate kiss to her crown.

"I missed you as well, Princess." Pain's voice was like rich chocolate, similar to one she knew all too well.

"Don't leave too long, okay?" Even as she said this, her mind supplied her with a completely different visage, one of high cheekbones, lush lashes, plump lips, and alluringly slanted eyes. Who was she really talking to? The man chuckled, vibrations spreading like wildfire underneath her skin.

"I make no promises. However, I will try my best."

The girl guessed that his words would have to suffice for now. Hopefully, he hadn't captured or wasn't planning to capture any tailed beasts yet…she still had no idea how she was going to approach _that_ situation. Yuupika snuggled into his heat more, propping up her legs on his from her position in between his loosely crossed legs. He kissed her crown again.

"We must return to Ame tomorrow. Rest." He whispered into her hair as he set his book down and his arms encased her shortly after.

"It's still afternoon, Papa." Yuu reminded him and he laughed lowly.

"It is a long journey, Princess. You'll need all your energy."

She only hummed noncommittally. In truth, Yuupika didn't really care what time of day it was – she was only scared of dreams and all the things she might see in them. The insanity of loneliness, the faces of her loved ones screaming out in pain, the smell of burnt flesh, the slimy feel of innards slipping through her fingers, the cold snow biting at her mercilessly, the eyes of a tiger, Jungo, his broken, petrified body, the children turned statues, their horrifying screams, the heat and intensity of flames jetting towards her or – or worse:

Beautiful, rough scars, a lovely set of teeth smiling at her, rippling muscles on a shirtless torso, seductive ebony orbs beckoning her closer, and open arms, waiting patiently for her inevitable return.


	15. To The World

A/N: Yo! So I've got a serious question for you all...

 **Who should Yuupika's love interest(s) be?**

Yes, you read that right. I'm open to Yuu-chan having more than one lover. My main choices are in the description. Let me know who you wanna see her with!

Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine...yet.

* * *

 _"_ _Yuu…" Strong arms wrapped around her, a warm chest at her back and she shivered. "Don't be afraid…"_

 _'_ _Afraid?' she thought. 'That is not even close to how I'm feeling.'_

 _That aristocratic nose of his nuzzled into her hair and lightly trailed along her exposed neck. His hold on her tightened. "Forgive me…"_

 _Her heart pounded in her chest, like a mallot on a drum, and she closed her eyes to the sensation of his shuddering breath, a symphony of agony waiting to bound from her tongue. 'How can I? How can I not?'_

 _'_ _I hate you more than words can convey – I love you more than touches can express.'_

 _Betrayer. Liar. Devil. She didn't want that mockery of a man close to her._

 _But oh, the scent of pine on his skin and the silky feel of his long hair, the way his fingertips caress ever so gently in apology and his lips that kiss her tenderly, hopefully, longingly…_

 _There they were again, the tears that spilled from her lashes like waterfalls down to the pillow beneath – and he was there as well, easing her onto her back and hovering over her (with a mournful expression that made her heart wrench), kissing her tears away with loving care. He couldn't say the words that would make it all better, he couldn't give her the closure that she desperately needed. He could only ask her to forgive him time and time again, every night at her back, embracing her with all the affection and adoration that he had within himself. Did he regret? She didn't know._

 _But how could she resist him? Many months had already gone by and she had adamantly refused all of his advances, all of his attempts to close the rift between them and heal the bond that was broken. Every time, it hurt. Every time, she was angry and scared and so achingly hurt. But, she needed him like the blue that paints the sky and the water that fills the sea, even through everything._

 _Slowly, with hands that trembled uncontrollably, she reached for him, clutching his shoulders as best as she could. Her grip was weak, but he stiffened anyway in shock – in happiness that she could see clearly in slanted, alluring orbs – and embraced her again, pressing her to his chest like she would disappear if he didn't. In that moment, her soul was on her lips as she kissed the place above his heart, reveling in the wild beating. He rolled over, pulling her with him and cradling her close as she laid on top of him, stroking her hair gingerly and whispering idle words on her crown._

 _"_ _Yuu," Her name came from him, relief coloring his tone. "Yuu."_

 _'_ _Obito,' she responded in her head, still shaking as she curled into his warmth. 'I love you…'_

* * *

"When is he gonna be here already?" Yuupika pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Juzo chuckled and readjusted his hold on her, then kissed her cheek.

"Soon, Yuu-chan. You're so impatient! Stitches is a bad influence on you!"

"Nu-uh! 'Kuzu-chan is the best!" She protested, jabbing his pectoral with a finger. Juzo rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue at her, and they laughed together as they walked. Sasori turned a corner near them and smiled in that gentle way that he always did now, falling easily into step beside them. Yuu leaned down and placed a noisy kiss on his cheek in greeting.

"Sasori-nii!"

"What's up, Sasori, my man!"

The puppeteer patted her head and Juzo's shoulder respectively. "How are you, Yuu-chan, Juzo-kun?"

"We're good!" She exclaimed. "We're meeting up with 'Kuzu-chan and Oji-maru in the gardens. They're supposed to have a public respresentative with them for an interview, but they're not here yet."

"Ah, yes, Pain briefed us on that." Sasori frowned thoughtfully. "A neutral party representing the nations, correct?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm…a little nervous, honestly. I mean, I'm only 8 years old! I doubt many people will take that well."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Yuu-chan."

"Yeah! You'll have us with you, ya know."

Yuupika smiled at their encouragements and wrapped her arms around Juzo's neck. _They're right. Who couldn't take me seriously with four S-rank missing nin standing behind me?_ _I am Yuupika Uzumaki!_ She blinked. _Feels like there's something missing from that sentence…what did Naruto always say? Kushina? Datte…datte…datteba…datttebo…da- Dattebayo! That's what it is! And dattebane, too. Well, if they have a catchphrase, I should too, yes? Hm…what should it be…_

"Alright, Yuu-chan, ya ready?"

"Hm?" She straightened herself and spread her senjutsu towards the wide double doors in front of them and beyond, mapping out the gardens and the three men standing in the middle of them. "When did they get here? They didn't page us!"

"Orochimaru-kun paged me about five minute ago." Sasori said and she whirled on him.

"What? And you didn't tell me? Sasori-nii!"

He laughed softly and patted her head again. "We should head inside, Yuu-chan."

"Hmph!" She huffed indignantly, but still reached for his hand and wrapped her fingers around his. "Fine then. Let's go! Onward, slaves!"

Juzo shook his head and pushed the door open, and immediately Yuu could feel the warmth from the artificial sun above gently rolling on her skin in waves. The flowers leaned towards her, sensing the nature chakra floating easily in her coils and she sighed happily at the feeling as they approached. The three men turned to greet her.

"Hi! My name is – what the heck?! Why is he still blindfolded?!" The scrawny, formally dressed man held his camera tightly to his body, a piece of cloth tied around his head. He was obviously scared by the way his body was tense and his fingers were twitching – though that could have also been because of Orochimaru's hand clasped down on his shoulder. _Can't really blame the guy._

Kakuzu scoffed. "As if we would just blindly trust him."

"Your safety is our priority, Yuu-chan. Such measures were necessary." Orochimaru added and she sighed, slipping out of Juzo's hold.

"Please take it off now, I'm quite sure I'm safe."

Kakuzu grunted, a thin tendril slipping out of his arm and disappearing behind the man's head. With a quick flick, the cloth loosened and fluttered down, being caught by Yuu. She smiled amusedly at the man who squawked at the sight of all the men around him, his fingers fiddling with his bulky camera (that he looked as if he could barely carry) until it clicked on.

"A-Ah…this is livestream 7, my name is Ren Yamamoto, pleased to meet you!" He bowed as much as he could with the camera in his hands.

Yuupika bowed back, "Pleased to meet you, Yamamoto-san!" Then she stared into the camera, wondering how many people were watching on their televisions at the moment and hoping they could feel her sincerity despite half of her face being covered. She couldn't mess this up! "Hi! My name is Yuupika Uzumaki, otherwise known as Yuu-sensei. Some of you may recognize me from the Chunin exams – I hope I left a good impression!"

"Alright, Yuu-chan," Juzo interrupted with one of his feral smiles as Orochimaru and Kakuzu moved smoothly to stand beside him and Sasori. A show of power and a silent threat, she mused as she turned to the side to face them, and by the way that the man in front of her went rigid, he knew it too. "We'll be nearby. Don't hesitate if you need anything."

"Of course." They flickered away to opposite corners of the room, all expertly hidden in the flora and trees.

"S-So," Ren began, catching her attention again. A few drops of sweat were rolling down his neck and he readjusted his collar. There was a hint of disbelief in his eyes. "You are the famous Yuu-sensei? You're awfully young."

Somehow, she knew that would be one of his first questions. "Yes, I am. Eight and four months, to be exact." He blinked, surprised, and she continued. "My father is Uzumaki, but my mother is distantly Hayashi, a sister clan to the Nara that disbanded in the Warring Clans Era. My intelligence can be credited to that clan's genes taking dominance in me." Which actually wasn't a lie – Konan was a very intelligent woman and _was_ distantly related to the Hayashi. She just wasn't her biological mother. Yuu's mind wandered briefly back to the results of Orochimaru's DNA test on her, remembering her plain civilian heritage. Yuupika wasn't anything special – she often wondered who 'Yuupika' would be if Rosse hadn't taken over her body, how smart she would be, how her personality would contrast with the one she has now…

"Ah. So, would you describe yourself as a motivated Nara?"

Yuupika laughed at that, coming abruptly out of her silent reverie. "Yes, I suppose so. It helps that I have been immersed in my studies since a very young age."

He nodded, looking much more agreeable with that tidbit of information. The Naras were known for their legendary intelligence, so she wasn't surprised. Ren glanced upwards and gasped, his camera whipping up with him.

"What is that?!" He gestured to the burning ball of light overhead.

"Oh." She followed his gaze. "That is a solis – a tiny sun. My shishou and I created it to provide my garden with the heat and light necessary to sustain life."

"Amazing." He ran a hand through his hair, straightening. "How does it stay floating?"

 _A watered down version of Chibaku Tensei._ "It has an artificial gravity center which repulses against earth's gravity and serves to hold all components of the solis together."

"Ingenious, Yuu-sensei." It felt weird to be called such a title. "Will you release this to the public?"

"I…don't think I should. One solis could power an entire city, probably even beyond that since it is an infinite source of energy – but as a result, the men and women who work in power plants would lose their jobs. Until new jobs are created, it is best that this technology not be released."

Ren nodded his head sagely. "Very wise, Yuu-sensei." _Yep, totally weird. Man, my legs are starting to get tired._

"Would you like to sit down, Yamamoto-san?" She asked him and gestured towards a nearby picnic table.

"That would be wonderful, please call me Ren." He smiled at her and she guided him towards it, her fingertips reaching down and brushing along the whispering grass that grew in her presence, insects buzzing happily. Yuu was quite proud of her garden – she devoted a great deal of time and tender care to ensure it's beauty and growth. A camellia bloomed by her palm and the girl caressed it's petals. They took their seats opposite to each other and he swiftly set up his camera on the far end of the table to capture her image before taking out a small notepad from the pouch on his hip. She eyed it a little warily, ogling the sheer number of questions as he flipped through the pages. _Oh god._ "Well, Yuu-sensei, let's begin this interview in earnest."

"Yes, let's."

"So, Yuu-sensei…" He shuffled back to the first page. "There has been quite a lot of speculation about the material of the robes you wore during the chunin exams. Of course, until now, no one knew that you were one of the competitors, but such technology has only been produced by your hands, so many were wondering if you had made them. Now that we have discovered your identity, I am practically required to ask about the details of such robes. What can you tell us about them?"

"Ah, well." The girl resisted the urge to scratch her cheek sheepishly and folded her hands in front of her on the table. A butterfly landed on her thumb. "The special blend of microfiber and polyester ensures the robes are lightweight, comfortable, and soft. They are also weaved with graphene, thus making tearing impossible. Itachi Uchiha was a formidable and worthy opponent. If not for my robes, I'm not so confident I would have won. As any good kunoichi or shinobi knows, half of the battle is won with preparation and planning."

"Very true. Would you say Itachi Uchiha was less than prepared?" She inwardly groaned.

"Oh, quite the contrary, Ren-san. He was more than prepared. Uchiha-san simply had no way of knowing the composition of my robes, as they are the first of their kind." Yuu lifted the appendage with the insect carefully, idly inspecting the patterns running along it's wings.

Ren nodded, his beady orbs scanning over the butterfly. "So, do you plan to release this technology to the public, Yuu-sensei?"

 _And that's the million dollar question._ Yuupika tapped her chin, a small smile on her face. "Perhaps. I would hate to be the bane of a kenjutsu user's existence though. Being that I am learning kenjutsu as well, I'm not sure I'd ever want this kind of technology out there!"

"It would certainly revolutionize the way shinobi fight." The butterfly fluttered away and Yuu silently mourned its departure. She was just about to name it…

"In some ways. It doesn't protect from blunt force, so one might still get bruises from getting hit."

"I see. I'm sure the public would appreciate any updates regarding your graphene robes." She nodded. "Is there anything you can tell us about your next release?"

"Yes, actually. I'm in the process of making a new version of pagers with call capabilities…"

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed and late morning was upon them. It was getting close to lunch, Yuupika deduced, by the low rumbling in her stomach. She smiled at Ren.

"Ren-san, would you like to go get something to eat? I'm cooking."

His eyebrows shot up, but a pleasant smile worked its way into his expression. "Why, of course. I'd be an honor to have some of your legendary cooking."

Yuu smiled back in thanks. "I'll have to put a blindfold on you again, though…and your camera as well." She waved at the camera. "Sorry, everyone, I'm sure you understand."

As if called, the four men guarding her flickered into view and Kakuzu stepped forward. Ren Yamamoto went rigid again as he was tied and Yuu used the cloth that she had caught earlier to cover the camera lens. It was a short walk to the kitchen, dabbled with shunshin's to confuse the reporter and the live audience. Once there however, Ren and the camera were freed and he wasted no time setting it up once again. Yuupika giggled at his fumbling hands as she searched the fridge and the pantry for ingredients, preheating the oven absentmindedly. When she sat back at the table, it was with light pastry dough that she had prepared earlier that morning and a baking sheet.

"What's that, Yuu-sensei?" Ren asked, leaning closer.

"It's gougère." She told him, allowing a smirk to adorn her face while rolling up the dough into little balls.

He blinked, taking a moment to ponder that. "I've…never heard of such a dish. Is it yours?"

"Yes. It's one of the appetizer recipes from the new cookbook I'll be publishing."

"Oh?" He was suddenly more interested, leaning forward on his elbows. _Is he a fan? Well…who isn't?_ "Will it be anything like your last few? More 'Spanish' recipes?" Oh, how Yuu loved the way everyone but her stumbled over the foreign word.

"No, it won't. I'll be introducing the world to a new taste. I call it 'French Cuisine'."

He grinned, not even attempting to pronounce that one. "Wonderful, Yuu-sensei! I'm sure many would love to get their hands on it. When will you be publishing?" She pondered that for a moment and began placing the dough balls on the sheet.

"Sometime in the next few weeks. You'll be the first person outside of my family to taste these delicacies, you know."

"Oh, I'm honored." His lips stretched even more and Yuupika decided that such an expression looked exceedingly odd on his serious face. He reminded her of The Joker…or maybe the Cheshire Cat. It was creepy.

"Mm." The girl stood with the tray and walked over to the oven, sliding it inside and setting the timer. Then, with deft hands, she plucked her apron off of the hook by the pantry, tied it around herself, and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Ren watched, intrigued, as she began making paninis.

"Is this another new recipe, Yuu-sensei?" He inquired as she turned the stove on.

"Oh no, this is just a little something I made up." She snatched a pan from one of the cabinets and slapped salami, lettuce, and tomatoes onto it. "I guess you can say it's a special lunch sandwhich – quite delicious, if I don't say so myself." On another pan, she quickly toasted a short loaf of bread.

"What is this special lunch sandwich called?"

"A panini. It usually consists of fried meat and whatever toppings of your choice on toasted bread." Yuu cut the browned bread into two pieces before placing them on plates and cutting them again to reveal the inside.

Ren nodded, watching her butter the hot rolls. "I see. Simple, but tasty."

"Indeed. This is the original variant." She took the salami from the heat and laid the slices artfully on the bread, then placed cheese over them. Yuu made sure to give the camera full view of what she was doing, trying to be considerate of the women who were watching. The recipe probably wouldn't ever make it to the cookbooks, but she'd still like to get it to the public somehow. The girl then slipped the thin tomatoes between the blackened leafs of lettuce and closed the sandwiches.

The timer rang and Yuu called up her chakra to assist her, pushing water nature out of every pore on her hands to to create a mitt of liquid. With it, she pulled out the baking sheet that sizzled and steamed where her skin met it and set it down on top of a few pot holders she arranged quickly to protect the table from the heat. Quickly switching to wind, she pulled up a concentration seal and and blew cold air over the gougères, then retrieved the paninis and presented them. Inwardly, the girl hoped her small performance had impressed.

"Would you like some fruit smoothie?" She asked and he nodded eagerly. Chuckling, she grabbed the pitcher she made that morning from the fridge and served them both with the same grace she would use to perform a tea ceremony.

Yuu sat elegantly with a satisfied sigh and gestured to the food. "Well? I made this for you, Ren, won't you eat?"

He jumped a bit. "Of course, Yuu-sensei. Itadakimasu!" She smiled. _Civilians are so funny. So amazed at even the smalled things…_ "Absoluetly delicious," He said after sampling a bite of both dishes, a slight flush on his cheeks.

"Thank you."

They chatted idly about some of her inventions as they ate and Yuu couldn't shake the odd feeling of knowing that the whole world was watching her. _Thank Kami for Kaa-san. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't taught me table etiquette – I don't even want to think of how embarrassed I would be. I wonder if she's watching? I wonder if…Obito is watching?_

 _No. He surely has more important things to do._

"So," Ren began as they finished, wiping his mouth delicately with a napkin. "You're still very young, Yuupika-san, but you _are_ princess of a country – a very prosperous one at that. Have you considered marriage yet?"

…

 _Huh?_

Yuu would like to think that she recovered quickly and that the whole world didn't see her freeze for a total of three seconds – ah, but she could only dream. "Um…"

"Yuupika will marry whoever catches her fancy." The familiar voice of Pain cut through her metal fog and her head shot up towards him.

"Tou-san!" She exclaimed and Ren jumped from his seat, grabbing his camera like it was second nature.

"Amekage-sama!" He bowed low. "It's an honor. Do you truly mean Yuupika-san can marry anyone? She is not already in an arranged marriage?"

Pain's eyes were dull again, not the Rinnegan that he usually loved to show off. _Genjutsu. Will he keep that up every time he makes a public appearance?_ "Arranged marriage?" He scoffed. "Ridiculous. Of course there are standards, but as long as her suitor meets them, she will marry whomever she likes."

Yuupika grinned at him and stood, gliding to his side and hugging him briefly. "Tou-san."

He allowed a small quirk of his lips as he stroked her hair. "I see you've had lunch already. I'll ask your mother bring to bring some peppermint tea to the gardens." _My favorite._ She gave a pleased nod. "Sasori, you will take care of this, yes?"

The puppeteer sighed as he flickered into view and Ren turned the camera to catch his body. "Yes, Leader-sama." Nimble fingers with chakra strings began cleaning efficiently and Yuupika had to swallow a giggle at seeing an S-ranked ninja put on kitchen duty in front of millions of people. She'd never let him live it down.

"I'll escort you." Pain placed a hand on her back and gently pushed, not leaving any room for argument.

"Right," She said as she began to walk beside her father and she gestured for Ren to follow. He fell into step behind them. When they came to the doorway, Pain placed a hand on Ren as well, his robes cleverly falling over the lens of the camera, and shunshin'd them to the gardens. Ren promptly hurled up his lunch in the grass.

* * *

Sales went up, unsurprisingly. The public loved her – and that wasn't surprising either because how could you hate a cute little girl in a pretty, mint green chiffon dress who was smart and polite? Yuupika felt like she should feel something more, though. Was she getting too arrogant? She shook off the thought. She released her cookbook two weeks after Ren came and then, a great deal of time later, the new version of pagers:

Blackberry!

Well, it wasn't called Blackberry. It was officially Pager SE (special edition), but it looked eerily similar to a Blackberry Classic. The SE had a fully functional instant messaging and calling system. People went wild! As was expected. Yuu programmed the games Shogi, Richi Mahjong, and Cho-Han Bakuchi (perhaps Tsunade would stop gambling so much?) onto it, which took up the bulk of seven months after her interview. She worked around the clock to get it done, and it was exceedingly more difficult than she ever thought to give professionals credit for – she wished dearly that she had studied the topic some more when she had the time. Yuu figured she could hold off on the pagers for few years after that.

She realized sometime later that she was slowly phasing out the use of paper. That was decidedly a good thing. Deforestation was big in her last world, and even though this one had an abundance of trees, it never hurt to be proactive.

Yuupika had initially poured her profits into Ame, the shinobi system, and into the orphanages. Firstly, she paid for a city-wide clean up to be performed regularly and set up a garbage collecting service (she had been horrified when she learned that the people often threw trash in the rivers to be swept away to the ocean), creating new jobs for the people. She imported fertile soil and seeds from Kusa and littered the city with them, praying for the rain to make the rather drab village look prettier quickly. She then updated the shinobi classrooms and cafeteria in the lower building and paid for the training grounds to be cleaned regularly. Afterwards, she set up a fund that provided local orphanages with the money to take care of any and all needs. She also gave the children at the orphanages free pagers – she felt bad that they had no parents to speak of to buy such luxuries for them and she knew how other, more privileged children could be; they'd make fun of the oddball, if given the chance.

The thought of orphans gave Yuupika a shock then – her brain went to Naruto, who was still just a little kid, suffering hate in the worst way and probably not benefiting at all from all she had tried to do for the world. Knowing how people treated him and how Sarutobi couldn't show him too much favor before the eyes of the public, he probably was living in the same way he would have been if she didn't exist. That sparked her anger and she had half a mind to send an unpleasant letter to the Hokage – but then Yuu realized how bad of an idea that was and, with Kakuzu's secret help, decided to send a calm letter to him instead. It went a little something like this:

 _'_ _Hokage-sama,_

 _This letter is sent in regards to a matter that has recently come to my attention. Orphans often don't receive luxury items and I would like to remedy this. Henceforth, I request permission to send a free shipment of pagers that will be gifted to registered orphans age six and above in Konohagakure no Sato._

 _Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you soon._

 _Your Sincerely,_

 _Yuupika Uzumaki_

 _Ame-hime, Amegakure no Sato'_

She made sure to use her prettiest writing and that was that. She had waited one agonizing week before Kakuzu received a halk at the message outpost. Immediately, she had opened it, her heart pounding in her ears.

 _'_ _Hello, Ame-hime,_

 _Konohagakure no Sato appreciates your concern for her orphans. We will gladly accept the free shipment of pagers. Please send 200 at your earliest convenience._

 _I would also like to thank you for your generosity. You are welcome in Konoha at any time. Please inform me if you decide to visit._

 _Warm Regards,_

 _Hiruzen Sarutobi_

 _Hokage, Konohagakure no Sato'_

Yuupika had squealed and jumped up and down in her lab, Orochimaru glancing at her oddly from where he was reviewing her schematics. She didn't let it bother her. That was a success! She promptly told Kakuzu and asked him to take care of the proceedings. After that, she sent similar messages to the other four great nations, receiving mostly the same message back from Iwa, Kumo, and Suna – but curiously nothing from Kiri. Not long after, word spread that the water country had recently gone dark and bloodline purges had begun.

Obito was absent for days.

When he came back, though, he informed her that Akatsuki would most likely be receiving another member soon. Yuupika couldn't find it in herself to speak to him for a week or so and slept in Kakuzu's bed until she accepted what she knew he had done. She mourned for a certain blue-skinned man because she knew he would not mourn for himself.

 _I'm so sorry, Kisame._

* * *

"Tou-san, are you serious?!"

Pain peered over his newspaper, sparing her a glance. "I do not joke often, Princess."

"But…but I'm so young! It's weird!"

"You should know your options."

"I mean…some of them are way younger than me! And some of them are way older! It's weird!"

"What about that Uchiha heir?"

"W-What? You mean Itachi?! No! That's weird too!"

"He is an adept fighter. If he is also a gentleman, then I would not mind."

"Oh my god! Stop right there!"

"Then what of the Sabaku boy? Or the Hyuuga heir? The Akeno? Kaminari? Tsukino? Nishiyama? Ryuza-"

"I don't wanna talk about marriage anymore!"

Pain sighed, taking a sip of his bitter coffee. Yuu would never understand why he liked it so much. "Very well. However, we are still going."

Yuu pouted and pulled her knees up to her chest to rest her chin on them. It was early morning and they had just finished breakfast. Pain had initiated a casual conversation that somehow turned towards her interview, and subsequently, the offers he received for marriage from many clans. For whatever reason, he had decided that to seriously consider all these offers (so as not to offend anyone), they would go on a tour around the continent and Yuupika would meet the clan heirs. It was hilariously obvious he had no idea how to respond to this – well, hilarious to anyone except for her.

"I don't wanna see anyone who is younger or older than me by more than two years."

"Older than you by four and I'll consider it."

She groaned in frustration. "Fine! Younger than me by two and older than me by four. But that's it! I won't budge!"

"Ho~? Yuu-chan is accepting suitors now?" Orochimaru leaned on the threshold to the kitchen, a slim eyebrow quirked in amusement. "And so young…"

"You gotta help me, Oji-maru!" Yuupika sobbed. "They're probably all stuck up bast-"

" _Language._ " Pain warned, using a pencil to scribble a word in the crossword puzzle of the week on the newspaper.

She sighed and Orochimaru laughed, walking gracefully towards the coffee maker. Yuupika constantly wondered how he managed to make it looked like he _glided_ everywhere – there weren't even vibrations from where his feet touched the ground! That shit was insane! "I'm certain you'll be alright, Yuu-chan."

Yuu sunk into a depressive state, hugging her legs. " _I'm gonna die_." _At least I don't have to deal with the Rookie Nine…_

"Oi, what'sa matter, Yuu-chan?" Juzo rounded the corner with an inquisitive grin, his sweaty arm slung around an equally sweaty Sasori. She scrunched her nose at the offensive stench wafting off of them.

"Disgusting!" She admonished. "Why didn't you guys take a shower first before coming for breakfast? Spare our noses!"

"Aw, but, training always leaves me so _hungry~_. We'll take showers after!" The swordsman grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets and turned towards the large serving dish on the counter. "Oh! Blueberry pancakes, my favorite!"

Sasori smiled apologetically at the girl as he retrieved a plate of his own. "We're sorry, Yuu-chan. Training truly did leave us famished."

Yuupika waved the admission away, "I guess it's fine. Just don't make it a habit."

He nodded while Juzo scooped pancakes by the threes.

" _Man_ , I'm starving…stitches!"

Kakuzu 'tsk'd as he stepped into the kitchen, a manilla file in hand. "Imbecile." He approached Pain and set it down in front of him. "The profit and loss report for last month, Leader-sama."

"Thank you, Kakuzu."

"Hai."

"Hey, 'Kuzu-chan!"

The miser turned towards her and flicked her nose softly, the beginnings of a smirk on his mouth. "Yuu."

"What'cha doin' today?" She asked as she let her feet down, then swung them back and forth beneath her. A flash of annoyance made her chest heat as she was reminded that she was not tall enough yet to feel the ground on her toes.

He shrugged. "Coffee first." The former taki-nin accosted the counter where the machine was, just as Orochimaru stepped away from it with a steaming mug.

"You seem tired, Kakuzu-kun." The snake remarked, not even flinching as he took a sip of the scalding liquid. Kakuzu only grunted while he changed the filter. "Regardless, I was hoping for your assistance regarding one of my more recent experiments."

Juzo plopped down in the seat next to Yuu, syrup bottle in hand. "Itadakimasu!" The girl watched in slight disgust as he proceeded to drown his pancakes. Sasori sat next to him.

"Save some for me, Juzo-kun."

"Don't worry, my man, there's more in the pantry." He beamed devilishly and twirled his fork in his hand like it was a kunai before shoveling the dripping food into his mouth. _What a chump..._

"What kind of experiment?" Kakuzu glanced at Orochimaru with a gleam of interest in his eyes.

"I've been attempting to regrow limbs and organs by stimulating chakra. It's similar to what your Jiongu does when you're injured, yes?"

"Somewhat," Kakuzu agreed, watching his drink trickle into his cup. "But when I'm wounded, the Jiongu acts separately, healing me on it's own."

Orochimaru hummed, his short nails tapping his mug. "If the Jiongu were to be removed from you, would your chakra still rush to heal you? Perhaps it has been accustomed to the Jiongu for so long, that it has programmed itself to respond in a specific ways when faced with a specific situations?"

Kakuzu's brow furrowed at that and he picked up his coffee. He was silent as he removed the dirty filter. "Perhaps…" He murmured. "There is no way to determine such a thing however."

The snake smiled, small and confident. "On the contrary, I believe I have found a way that would cause no harm to yourself." He held out a hand invitingly. "Would you walk with me to my lab?"

Kakuzu grunted and fell into step with him and they left the room, low voices echoing in the hall.

"Ah, that was good." Juzo rubbed his bare stomach appreciatively, his eyes closed in contentment.

"Yes, exceptional as always." Sasori commented and Yuu giggled happily.

"Thanks guys."

Pain scribbled another word.

"You're such a lil' cutie, Yuu-chan." Juzo mussed up her hair and the girl growled at him, hurriedly trying to fix the damage he caused to her carefully combed locks. He laughed heartily and his long fingers shot out with amazing speed to tickle her sides. Yuu immediately squealed and tried squirming away from him, but his grip was firm – and then he blew raspberries on her neck and the kunoichi let out her peals of delighted laughter, somehow slipping from his grasp and running to smiling Pain. She ducked under his newspaper and hopped up onto his lap, still shaking slightly with humor.

"Better watch out, Yuu-chan~! I'll get you next time for sure." The tattoed man joked in a faux menacing tone as Sasori used his chakra strings to place their dirty dishes in the sink.

"I don't know, Yuu-chan is very clever." The teen drawled. "You shouldn't start something you can't win, Juzo-kun."

"Pfft!" He waved a large hand in dismissal, then declared haughtily, "I'm most clever person I know – especially when it comes to pranks."

"Congratulations. You've found a way to insult all of Akatsuki at once." Yuupika mocked, peeking out from behind the newspaper and poking her tongue at him. Juzo reciprocated, looking miffed.

"It's war, then." He stated. "You're with me, Sasori, my man, yeah?"

Sasori shook his head with a chuckle. "I'll pass. I'd rather be on the winning side."

Juzo gaped, his expression absolutely scandalized.

"Oh Kami, what's that smell?" Konan interrupted as she strolled into the kitchen, one dainty palm pressed over the lower half of her face. Her eyes landed on the boys and a vein bulged on her forehead. Sensing danger, Sasori and Juzo blanched and scrambled out of the room, no more words spoken between them. The woman sighed as they left. "Men…"

"G'morning, Kaa-san!" Yuupika called and Pain set down his newspaper, smiling at her.

Konan grinned and came closer. "Hey sweetie," She kissed Yuu's forehead and then Pain's. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"Yep! We finished a while ago. What about you?"

"Oh, I had some fruit. Why don't we all take a bath and then we can go out and shop for yukatas? The Festival of Tears is in a couple weeks."

Yuupika blinked, idly tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The cool air danced along the skin around her eyes, a foreign feeling since it was usually covered. "Oh. It's already July, huh?"

"That's right, Princess." Pain rubbed her cheek with a thumb.

"Well, okay. I want a pretty yellow one this time!"

Konan laughed. "Of course – but we have to get clean first, ne?"

Yuupika nodded and wrapped her arms around Pain's neck as he positioned her on his arm and stood. His free hand found Konan's, their fingers intertwining with the ease of long practice. The girl nuzzled her nose against his cool cheek.

Their bath was filled with playful splashing, bubbles, and the light, all-encompassing air of a love that was unconditional.

* * *

Yuupika was nearly asleep when he slid under the covers and wrapped his arm around her waist. Automatically, she turned in his hold and cuddled into his warm chest. Moonlight streamed down through the open curtains, kissing her skin in the same place that his lips met, a press of unbelievable softness on her temple. His calloused fingers carded through her long tresses and another kiss was placed on her crown. The smell of pine that enveloped her was intoxicating, luring her into a sense of safety – even though he was a terrible man. His muscles relaxed and his breath ghosted past the shell of her ear. _Obito's home._

" _I love you_ ," She murmured sleepily, the phrase garbled and barely audible.

But Obito heard it somehow and he smiled into her hair. Just as low, so much so that she was partly sure it was the wind, he spoke:

" _And I, you_."

* * *

~ Omake! ~

(sometime before the interview)

The ball of light exploded and Yuupika could hardly look away in the shock of awe and fear that overtook her, even as a strong arm wrapped around her midsection urgently and the dim dimension spiraled out of view. Just as the incredible heat was about to reach her (so close that she could feel her hairs stand on end and even after it was over, she _shivered_ ), she found herself standing in a cement room, pressed against the body of-

Yuupika startled badly, her head whipping up to face the beautiful man that looked down at her with an unreadable expression. Belatedly, she realized that Obito had saved her from probably being incinerated. Her eyes widened and blush stained her cheeks and she jerked her head back down, swallowing thickly. With careful movements, the girl stepped away from him and towards Orochimaru, who was scribbling on a notepad furiously and mumbling like a maniac.

"S-So what do you think went wrong?" She asked, rubbing her arm to ease her sudden nervousness. Her heart pounded as Obito walked by behind her to reach Pain, his cloak brushing the backs of her ankles and making her knees _shake_.

"I'm not entirely sure," Orochimaru tapped his pen against his thin lips, glancing at her. "However, I do have a theory."

"Well, let's hear it." She said, trying valiantly to ignore the sound of _his_ deep voice in the background.

"The 'solis' is a compressed ball of energy and heavy elements converting into even heavier elements. That process, nucleosynthesis, is how our sun operates, how it creates heat. We've been trying to recreate such a reaction at microscopic scales – however, we have not taken into account what the converted molecules will do after completing the process. I believe our experiment exploded because we allowed these molecules to float aimlessly inside of the nature chakra sphere you create. There is nothing holding these molecules together or at the very least, dampening their effects, so they bounce against each other erratically and become faster than the already incredible speeds they are vibrating at and push the chakra sphere until it explodes. In other words – we need a gravity center of some kind."

Yuu blinked. How had she not thought of that? "You're right…" She muttered. She'd have to work to recreate artificial gravity, which was a whole 'nother project in itself, especially with the lack of technology in this world. How was she going to do that?! It took years for scientists who she had revered in her past life to accomplish such a thing and she hadn't really taken all the time she could to learn about that subject, so-

"I believe I can help with that." Pain spoke up from behind them and she turned to him in surprise.

* * *

The second time they attempted the experiment, the solis imploded and she went flying towards it unexpectedly. Once again, hands grabbed her urgently, almost too late. To Yuu's surprise, the flash that blinded everyone except her wasn't accompanied with any heat. Through the incredibly bright light, she saw air, her beakers, flasks, and vials all being sucked into a black space – _black hole_ , her mind supplied _._ The increasing gravity pulled at her skin and muscles, making it feel like they were going to rip off at any moment, but a voice shouted–

"Fuin: Protection of A Thousand Hands!"

–and her vision briefly flashed with the intricate language of seals and her body stabilized. Yuupika sucked in a harsh breath and the whole group watched as colors and indiscernible figures flashed inside of the black space – briefly, there was a vision of vast skies and trees that seemed to reach up into the heavens – and then the black space shrunk exponentially within the space of a second and disappeared completely.

 _Wormhole._

Yuupika sharply let out the air that she didn't even know she was holding and collapsed back into the body behind her. The chakra she had subconsciously channeled to her feet to keep her standing flickered away. Familiar hands steadied her, and Yuupika narrowed the range of her senjutsu so she wouldn't have to see what Obito's face looked like.

She just didn't want to know.

"What…what was that?" Orochimaru asked breathlessly as Pain shakily released the seal – _oh shit, Pain knows fuinjutsu?!_

"I'm not sure." Pain answered, and she expanded her range to see the two men turn to her, eyes curious and still a bit guarded. Yuu straightened herself slowly and ran a hand through her hair.

"It…that was what I call a 'wormhole'." She told them. "It was a passage through space-time to another place in the universe, maybe even in a different era."

"Incredible," Orochimaru marveled, walking over to the center of the platform they were situated on. "Our supplies have all been transported to this place."

"Yeah, we'll have to get knew ones…"

"No matter," He waved his hand, stroking his chin where a beard would be. "How absolutely incredible…where do you think the other side was?"

"I don't know," She frowned, quickly getting lost in her thoughts.

 _But where have I seen those trees before?_

* * *

 _Location Unknown_

They sped towards where the large spike of chakra had come from, weapons at the ready and bodies coiled in preparation. They came upon it abruptly, ready to strike down whatever threat lie there, some of them _hoping_ it was those despicable U-

"What the hell?" One of the group stepped forward, small in stature, voice low. "What is this?" He toed the items on the ground.

"They…look like pitchers." Another one stepped forward, slightly bigger than the first, and patted his shoulder. "Can you sense anyone nearby?"

"No…" The first one frowned, brow furrowed. "Is this some kind of diversion tactic? Scout around!" He shouted towards the other figures behind the two and they dispersed obediantly. "This is strange – I don't like this, Anija. That's the third time this week, and so close to our camp."

The second one nodded. "I know. We'll have to report this back to father."

The first one nodded, sighing.

"Don't worry," The second person smiled brilliantly, looking like the sun personified. "We'll get to the bottom of it."

The first scowled, biting out a reply, "You're too carefree, Hashirama. This could be a serious threat."

Brown hair fluttered back in the wind and broadening shoulders shook with loud, mirthful laughter. "And you're too serious, Tobirama. Don't you trust me? We'll get to the bottom of it."


	16. Better Left Unsaid

A/N: Yo!

This is a little bonus for everyone as thanks for all the reviews and PMs I get - it's just some development in Yuupika's plans, a bit of pre-puberty humor and some small, serious elements...

Next chap will be canon, and **don't forget to vote!** This might not be anything close to a romance story, but Yuu-chan still deserves all the loooovveee.

Disclaimers: Kishimoto, ugh. You win this time...

* * *

The walls were wide and filled to the brim with the products of her long work, paper taped meticulously together to form pictures as large and detailed as she could possibly make them. Her fingers ached – it wasn't a feeling that she was particularly unaccustomed to, but it was still odd because she hadn't produced an invention, she hadn't been practicing hand seals and she hadn't been training.

She was just…drawing.

Making art, Yuu decided, was one of the most fulfilling feelings in the world. Bringing beauty to life was fulfilling in a way that she had never felt before – just knowing that what your mind and what your hands had so lovingly produced was going induce a reaction in someone somewhere that was going to _change their world_ was like fire on oil. It made her feel alive. She briefly lamented the fact that she would probably never work with colors, but that was okay! Her ink was beautiful too, a harmony of blacks, whites, and greys, and it was wonderful just sitting in the midst of the fruits her labor bore.

Yuupika scanned over the piano on her left, a rather shoddy looking thing since her hands were entirely new to woodcarving, but she felt content at having another piece of her old life back in her hands. She was recreating the world through industry and progress, but what about art? Yuupika would hardly let _Jiraya_ dominate the world of literature and fantasy any longer. She fingered the leatherbound book at her feet and gazed at the pictures surrounding her.

Shinobi needed to have a little more feeling after all. She was determined to create a world that knew no wars.

 _Baby steps._

They were entertaining the Fire and Rain Daimyo tonight. In the very room she was sitting in. Juzo was furiously sweeping in the far reaches of the room, Kakuzu fussing over her poorly made piano and trying his best to smooth it into something presentable with wind chakra blades that extended from his hands, Sasori lathering the better looking section with creosote, and Orochimaru fussing over the lights. Pain has used his impressive control over gravity in tandem with Sasori's chakra strings to lay down beautiful marble tiles that Kakuzu cried tears over (due to the enormous expense), and the walls were repainted using the same odd teamwork. They were quite the duo, as long-range experts who's talents complimented eachother, Yuu realized with a startled jerk after seeing them get it all done without more than five words spoken between them. Konan tended to the decorations with a single-minded focus, working with Orochimaru to find the perfect, elegant balance. She had him mix up a concoction that would act as a sort of lava-lamp to beautify the table settings, along with flowers and a tray with mints. Yuu went through the pains of cooking with Kakuzu and Konan to provide food for the whole affair earlier that day and all through the previous night, kept fresh on warmers. At the end of it all, her hands were sore and she was tired, but the Daimyos did not arrive until evening and it was still early afternoon, so she had time to rest properly and get ready.

She was playing Debussy tonight and presenting a poem with all her artwork on display. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't at least a _bit_ nervous, since a good part of her plan to rebuild Ame was hitched on having the Daimyo's support, but she wasn't all too terribly worried because she had a back up plan – even if it was significantly harder.

But she was also quite sure of her ability to impress.

"Kaa-san, I'm going to go take a bath now." She called to her mother who was debating with Orochimaru about the color of the napkins. The woman glanced over with a short nod.

"Okay, sweetie, I'll be up within the hour."

Yuupika seriously doubted that. Nevertheless, she chirped an affirmation and skipped out. It was a short way to her room with liberal use of the shunshin that Obito had taught her and she stripped off her clothes without a thought on her way to the bathroom. With practiced ease, she combed out her hair as the tub filled with hot water and then filled the bath with aromatic soap, creating a paradise that she happily slipped into. The spicy, alluring scent of stargazer lily permeated the air, a fragrance that Yuupika worked hard to put into cosmetic use. Her hair was washed with the same, scentless oils were sparingly massaged into her scalp and tresses, her eyebrows were plucked, and she brushed over her face with a light coat of makeup – barely there, just used to even out her skintone, put a faint blush on her cheeks, and accentuate the heart shape of her face. Yuu finished it with a snow blossom tasting lipgloss (not that she planned to be kissed, and oh _god_ , _the memories of Akihiko_ ) and began to brush her hair. Her fingers played along the strands that nearly reached the backs of her knees and as she looked in the mirror, Yuu nearly mistook herself for a doll (if one discounted the silk blindfold).

 _Hopefully neither of the Daimyos are pedos._

A cord of stress wrapped around her heart and she sighed. Asuma Sarutobi would be there as one of two guards for the Fire Daimyo. She nearly forgot about the royal's special protectors until Pain idly mentioned it in a conversation with Kakuzu about the accomodations and then she almost freaked out. It took a moment to register that _no_ , he technically wasn't from Konoha and _no_ , he wasn't here to interact with her. Then she almost laughed about how skittish she still was when it came to meeting the main cast members. Her only goal with Asuma tonight would be to leave a good first impression and then avoid him so he only has good, if vague, things to say about her if the Hokage starts fishing for information. As it was now, she was always weary of interacting with the ninja on the lower levels of the tower, seeing as Danzo would only have to slip one person in to kill her, if he wanted to. _(That was a scary thought)._ But then again, Pain knew every chakra signature intimately and would _probably_ know if someone was trying to infiltrate their ranks.

But he was always so busy nowadays. A comforting thought was that Ame boasted a tight border patrol and even tighter shinobi ranks. They were efficient, well-trained, and they had _bonds_ with each other. They were taught and learned with the same people day in and day out – the children were packs of determination filled with the Song of Rain, driven to get stronger and prove themselves like their predecessors. They would know if someone unknown had tried to squeeze themselves among their ranks.

Yuu paused in slipping on her kimono. _The Song of Rain_. She chuckled lowly. It was a phrase of (surprisingly) Juzo's deviation, in a motivation speech that was given to the first graduating class. Similar to the Will of Fire or the Blood of Mist, as he said was a common stimulus back in his home village. It spread quickly, moving through the hearts of the soldiers and now was a force that ignited inspiration and loyalty within them all. Ame was undoubtedly small, but the soldiers were tenacious and dedicated to growing. Even the S-Ranks. They worked hard to understand something new and improve upon their skills every day.

Juzo was incredibly popular amongst the shinobi. The kids looked up to him, the teenagers strived to be like him, the adults shared drinks and sparred often with him. It was wonderful to see and he deserved every second of it. The original crew of teachers, Sasori, Juzo, Orochimaru, and Kakuzu, they were all looked up to with starry eyes and magnificent cheers. Yuu was happy for them – she knew that they enjoyed it, even Kakuzu who had a weird, unexpected soft spot for children. Orochimaru and Sasori still taught for a few days out of the week.

She doubted Pain would say so, but he was happy too, seeing his country flourish in a way he never thought was possible. Konan was a brighter, lovlier woman than she had ever been.

But Obito…

Yuupika wondered about him. She wondered if he was happy, if he was seeing how they were changing the world one little step at a time. She wondered about his own happiness. She wondered if he was happy with her, if he was happy enough that maybe he could forget the pain, forget the sadness, his malevolent plans, if he could forget that the world was still a beautiful world without Rin…

Unexpectedly, Yuupika felt a hot stab of _jealously._

Was she not good enough that he had to continue with all this nonsensical hatred? That he had to ruin everyone else's life just because he was hurting? There were people who experienced greif and agony much stronger than his! So, what…why…

Sometimes, she felt like she should just turn him into the Leaf…

Yuu shook her head of her musings and continued dressing.

…

 _(but the idea stayed)_

* * *

Yuupika was practicing her poem in the living room (that she hardly ever saw) when Konan had appeared and gushed over her with fat tears, then rushed to her own room a short walk away to get herself ready. Pain had strolled through immediately after and stared her with something like melancholy and pride in his Rinnegan eyes, a look that she knew all too well. She smiled at him understandingly and hugged him.

 _I'm growing up, Papa._

After he left to go get ready, Orochimaru came upon her, his kimono and haori respectively flowing elegantly behind him. Sasori trailed after him, a little less extravagantly, but looking handsome just the same. They sat on the long, lavish couch in front of her and listened.

"You must put more emphasis on the ending lines of the second stanza, Yuu-chan." Orochimaru advised.

"I mean, you think so? I was trying to put more emphasis in the middle, then say the ending two lines with a more resolving tone."

"I'll have to agree with Orochimaru-kun," Sasori said, scratching the underside of his chin. "There is more lyrical meaning in the last two lines of the second stanza than in the middle two. Though I do understand where you're coming from."

Yuu frowned a bit, but nodded and tried again.

"Yes, like that." Orochimaru's lips quirked up. "Now, work more on your facial expression. You must embody what you are speaking. It has a bittersweet tone, therefore you must exude a bittersweet aura. You must rise and fall with your words."

"Try moving your arms more as well, you look a touch stiff." Sasori added.

"He's right, Yuu-koi, I can see it in your shoulders." Juzo stepped in through the doorway, shaking his head sagely. "This ain't a spar. You can't show that your adrenaline is high. You gotta look relaxed so the audience feels comfortable."

The three of them all gave the swordsman a disbelieving stare.

"What?" He grumbled, looking annoyed and sheepish. "I've done infiltration missions like that too, ya know…"

"…huh." Yuu cleared her throat, not entertaining her wild thoughts that wondered just _how the hell_ Juzo would be subtle and charming enough to even attempt-

 _Focus._ She took a breath, letting the tension ease out of her, and started again.

This time, Orochimaru clapped, the skin around his eyes crinkling in pleasure. "Wonderful."

Sasori and Juzo joined, the latter more enthusiastic than the former (naturally), but they both looked happy. Yuupika blushed a bit and fiddled with her fingers. "Thanks guys."

Suddenly, Zetsu, who she hadn't seen in nearly a year, popped out of the ground. _Holy shit!_ Yuupika jumped, her spine stiffening in discomfort and shock. He regarded her oddly for barely a second before speaking. " **The n** obles **are** arriv **ing."**

He was sinking into the ground again when she found her own voice. "Z-Zetsu!"

His eyes bore into her. " **Wha** t?"

"I…just wanted to talk to you – later. If you have time…?"

He disappeared.

Yuupika sighed and hung her head. _I totally forgot he existed! It's getting closer and closer to the time that black zetsu…oh Kami, what am I gonna do?_

"Yuu-koi, what'sa matter with you?" Juzo's hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up into his confused face. "Forget about that creep. We gotta get downstairs and you've got a show to put on – so smile!" He grinned murderously, tatooes stretching across his face in a way that should not have been even close to reassuing. "I'll be rooting for you."

 _What a lovable idiot._ Yuupika found her lips twitching. "Yeah. Let's go."

Orochimaru and Sasori rose from their seats. "Indeed." The snake sighed. "To entertain the _dignitaries._ " His tone was so colored with distaste, that a chuckle slipped past Sasori's lips, much to everyone's surprise. His cheeks flushed with chakra but a gentle smile stayed on his face.

"You're so cute," Yuu giggled – and then his whole face lit up.

"I'm not _cute_." He muttered as Juzo guffawed.

"W-What about me, Yuu-koi~?" He bent down to her height, still shaking with humor. "Am I _cute_? _"_

She stuck her nose in the air. "No."

His palm slapped against his chest and he gasped, his expression morphing into something playfully crestfallen. "But Yuu-koi, I'm the most important man in your life!"

Yuupika snorted and Juzo smirked, then leaned forward to kiss her cheek with a loud smack. "You know you love me." Before she could stop it, she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go."

Sasori stepped forward and held out his hand for her. She took it gracefully, putting on her most charming smile and holding her head high as Orochimaru and Juzo shimmied next to each other. _Huh…Juzo is actually taller than Orochimaru. It's only a few inches but…Orochimaru is kinda short, huh? Men in England and America were rather tall compared to the men here, now that I think about it._ Yuupika studied them closely, taking note of their muscles, where their weight was most distributed, the width of their shoulders and narrow of their hips, length of their limbs, and size of their hands and feet. _Orochimaru is rather lean, while Juzo is more bulky, but not as much as Kakuzu. Pain is most like Juzo in stature, just a hair shorter and Obito is more like Orochimaru with more muscle. Konan is curvy and actually a bit taller than most women._ She nodded to herself as they shunshin'd down to the fifth floor.

 _I wanna be like Kaa-san when I grow up._

Under the gentle disguise of a genjutsu, Yuu was escorted in and over to the polished piano in the front of the room, catching the curious attentions of many of the shinobi guarding their noble charges. The girl couldn't help but be impressed and a tad amused by Kakuzu and Sasori's thorough work making the piano look as lovely as possible. She guessed that had stained the wood some deep color, seeing as it had a slight sheen to it and was a dark grey in her vision. She idly wondered what color it was as the guests of honor came in through the door, Pain and Konan, looking as stunning as she had ever seen them, at their sides. The Daimyos were older men, both holding fans to cover faces – but the shinobi behind them were as intimidating as ever, painting a visage of threat and strength. Asuma (who's startling long hair was slicked back) was aptly dressed in loose clothes, as was the woman walking beside him. Not so surprisingly, she was in men's clothes. Some nobles looked unfavorably at her for it, but she didn't even seem to acknowledge anyone but the royal standing in front of her and the man at her side.

Konan and Pain talked with the Daimyos in hushed tones and greeted a few people on their way to the table in the very front. Yuu took that time to release the genjutsu put over her, as no one was watching but a few wary shinobi. The Daimyos sat daintily at their table with her parents, the body guards at another table just an arms length away, and then everyone else sat. Orochimaru, Sasori, and Juzo had somehow gravitated towards the table with Asuma and the woman without being noticed and they were all sitting silently, looking quite uncomfortable. Yuupika noticed the unfriendly glances Orochimaru got – but also noticed the extremely unsettling smile he sent back in return, making the two fire guardians flinch and look away.

It brought a thought upon her as she bowed to her audience. _Did any of the nations get angry at Ame for housing powerful missing nin? Ame was known previously for taking in missing nin, but such a despicable, hated bunch must have drawn someone's ire, right?_ Yuupika sat down at the bench as everyone clapped and set her hands on the slick keys. _Was Pain able to take care of it? He's never said anything before…_

The kunoichi let everything fall from her mind and she flew through Clair De Lune with passion that brought some of the audience to tears. The standing ovation made her heart soar and she bowed in thanks. When the clapping had died down and everyone sat, she spoke.

"Thank you all so very much for attending tonight. We appreciate the time and effort you've taken to be here with us. All of Amegakure no Sato is honored to have you. My name is Yuupika Uzumaki, Princess of Ame, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance." She bowed once more as she finished, a light applause greeting her as Pain padded forward to help her off the slightly raised platform she had performed on. His whisper of approval reached her ear and warmed her like blanket. Konan and the Daimyos stood to their feet as they approached.

"My lords," She bowed to them reverently, but not so low as to denounce her station. "I hope you're enjoying your stay in Amegakure no Sato thus far." It was an odd fact that most nobles of Ame and even the Daimyo did not actually stay inside of the country. They often took residence in the areas around it, as everything was destroyed in the second war and many were still wary of re-entering. But with all the wealth and prosperity that Yuupika had brought, it was becoming a possibility again. This event actually doubled as an offer to the nobles and the Daimyo to move back to the land, to let them see how well it was doing and how everything had changed.

"Oh, it's been a pleasure, Amehime." The fire Daimyo smiled charismatically. "What _is_ that instrument you played? It was an absolutely lovely sound."

"The Piano, my lord." She told him.

"Piano?" The rain Daimyo attempted, a little botched, but Yuupika was honestly impressed by how well it came out. "A very elegant name, hime. Was that piece of your own devising?"

"Thank you, my lord. It was, my lord."

"Breathtaking." The fire Daimyo complimented. "As is your work in science and technology. You have a wonderful daughter, Amekage-san, Konan-san." The rain Daimyo nodded.

Her parents smiled and their hands landed on her shoulders, auras laced with pride. Pain hummed and said, "Thank you, my lords. Yuupika-chan, why don't go introduce yourself to our guests?"

"Of course, Otou-san. My lords," She bowed once again in parting and they both nodded their heads. Sasori appeared beside her not even a step away and offered an arm. She linked hers with his and placed her hand on his forearm gently. The puppeteer was her official 'escort' for that night – she hesitated to say date because of their difference in ages (and Pain would probably have an aneurism), but she wasn't opposed to the company. Sasori was…quite pleasing to look at.

 _Oh._ Her mind quickly supplied. _I think these are the beginning stages of puberty._

She repressed the intense desire to shudder as Juzo and Orochimaru took their places behind them as bodyguards. Yuu spotted Kakuzu across the room handing out refreshments in concealing robes and took comfort in his added presence. _Lucky him for not having to talk to anyone._

They drifted over towards the miser and Yuupika indulged in the taste of hors d'oeuvres for a few quiet minutes with her charges.

"These are quite good, Yuu-chan." Sasori whispered to her, leaning forward into her space. It was jarring that her stomach flopped and she involuntarily took special notice of his bewitching eyes, lined with thick lashes and always half-mast, an irresistible lure. She knew – _remembered_ – his eyes that were burnt chocolate, or maybe a mudded, sharp shade of amber and the gentle tilt of his lips, usually stretching towards the fiery hair that was now slicked back and exposing his oh-so cutting jawline and –

 _Okay. This just got weird._

"Thanks," She blurted rather belatedly, hoping he hadn't noticed her temporary lapse in sanity. Sasori just angled his head downwards in acknowledgement, his orbs flickering away and over the crowd. He was still leaning into her personal bubble though and Yuu was feeling a rather uncomfortable blush threatening to reach her cheeks. _Weird. This is weird. Oh Kami. He's 11 years older than you and that's disgusting – but am I plain? Maybe I should I have curled my hair like those porcelain dolls because half of my face is covered and is it even a good face? I've got black hair and unfocused eyes and I look like I've been lobotomized most of the time, oh Kami –_

"You've got something right –" Sasori's smooth fingertip brushed against the side of her mouth, and then pressed against his own, tongue lashing out to bring in whatever it was that was on his thumb. "-there. Please be more careful, Yuu-chan, it would be quite embarrassing if one of the nobles saw you like that."

Yuupika felt faint.

She turned away quickly, whipping out a decorative fan from inside of her sleeve and letting the cool air pacify her heated face.

 _Oh Kami. Please help me._

Of course, it's not as if he hadn't done that before but this time was just – just – maybe it was because he looked so (dare she say) handsome tonight? It was weird and she didn't like it, she knew exactly what it was and she wanted the feeling gone. _Stupid, stupid, stupid puberty. Sasori is literally 11 years older than you, dimwit. Literally, you aren't 30 anymore, you're nine mother fucking years old and – wow, he's about to be twenty, huh? In just a week…_

Yuupika breathed deeply and turned back to the confused teen. "Sorry," She said, painting on an apologetic expression. "I thought I saw someone who wanted to talk to me." He chuckled a bit, totally believing it, because why would she lie to him? _Oh Kami._

"Socializing is a necessity – it's why we're hosting this party."

"I know," She smiled sheepishly and linked her arm with his when he offered it again. There were no sparks and no hitched breaths, no quickening heartbeats or widening of the eyes – it was just platonic, she realized with relief. _Yes. Platonic_.

The night passed like a fleeting summer wind and she floated back towards the stage just before dinner was served, prompting the crowd to sit. She explained briefly that the main course would be served soon – and not a moment later, the double doors in the back were opened by a nervous pair of genin (who were so cute as they looked at her and her small party with stars in their eyes). Quality wine was poured as she introduced her poem, all eyes on her with rapt attention.

 _"_ _I've walked a thousand miles in darkness_

 _My feet have tread upon many a stone_

 _Touched my hands in the Fountain of Youth_

 _Felt the life surge in my bones_

 _But I still felt so old_

 _Oh, the water was cold,"_

 _"_ _I have talked with the largest of fears_

 _Know their laughs of cunning and bold_

 _I have lived through all of my years_

 _Watching Gods as they giveth and take_

 _Held the hands of the Great_

 _Trembling, as they go,"_

 _"_ _I have smiled in the absence of mirth_

 _Just to stave off the tears and the cold_

 _I have cried to the spirits of earth_

 _Watching love as it breaks and it folds_

 _Understanding the hurt_

 _In my veins, a river flows,"_

 _"There are some things that time cannot let go_

 _There are some wounds that time cannot control,_ _"_

Yuupika bowed in tandem with the applause. Serving dishes were set down as Sasori helped her off stage. The feast begun.

* * *

"I suppose this will be a lot of D-ranks, yeah?"

Pain snorted quietly, glancing down at her as she repositioned herself in his lap. He waited until she had settled to wrap his arms around her again. "That is correct, Princess."

She whistled lowly, thinking back to Konoha's destruction and the following reconstruction. "I feel bad for those poor genin. Rebuilding the capital will take a long time."

"It will."

"Yep!" She exclaimed, popping her 'p'. "You know, there's this really good carpenter in Wave Country."

"Oh?"

Yuupika yawned as she nodded. Konan stretched on the couch beside them and leaned more into Pain's shoulder, a small book in her hand. _Tales of a Gutsy Ninja._ "His name is Tazuna. He was very interested in my power tools when they first came out, he ordered a fairly large shipment. His work is impressive."

"Hm," Pain seemed to consider this for a moment while Yuupika played with the hanging tendrils of his recently washed hair. "I'll contact him." The girl beamed. _Perfect! With a payout this big, Gato won't even have a chance to buy out Wave. They won't be poor enough._

Without warning, Kakuzu stomped into the room.

"Yuu-chan~." He drawled, slapping his clipboard for accountant work down on the table in front of them. Konan lowered her novel, an eyebrow raised. "Is there any reason why 13.7 _trillion_ ryo have been deducted from your personal account?"

 _Oh._ She thought nervously as the three focused on her, two with eyes of wary curiosity and one with unbridled anger. _I…forgot about that._ "Um…" She began, scratching her head. "I…talked with the Kusa representative yesterday at the party."

"What does Kusa have to do with this? That was a good fourth of your savings!" The missing nin looked about ready to tear her apart and sweat began trickling down her temple.

"W-Well…" Yuu gulped. "He expressed his Daimyo's interest in investing in my projects for the prosperity of their country and one thing led to another and I…just ended up kind of – well, you know – _buying_ Kusa."

Silence.

And then, Kakuzu's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body fell to the floor with a heavy 'thump'.

"I think you broke him." Juzo commented from the doorway, sipping a fruit smoothie.

Pain sighed.

* * *

Obito handed her a damp piece of paper. "Smell this."

Yuupika's eyebrow twitched in bewilderment, but she obeyed, bringing the soggy material up to her face and inhaling deeply. It was like rain and earth and running ink in her senses. "What was the purpose of that?"

"You've mastered the senses of sound and touch. I'm starting you on smell now. That paper is the basic scent of Ame. You will memorize it as to be able to identify and track your fellow shinobi on missions." He explained, making the paper in her hand disappear with a small burst of chakra in his eyes.

"Wait - I'm going on missions?"

"Is that the only piece of information that struck you?" Obito quizzed, annoyance in his tone.

She hastily shook her head. "No, no, it's not that," The girl denied. "I just...never mind."

Obito continued. "Your sense of smell can often decide the turn of battle - scenting an explosion tag before its placed, distinguishing clones, detecting poison, keeping track of your enemy - these are all important if you want to survive. In infiltration, your nose can also help determine the emotional state of your target. A good tracker can determine where an object has been within the span of 48 hours. An excellent tracker can determine where the same object has been within the span of a week. It is my expectation that you hone these skills and eventually learn to incorporate them into battle effectively." He lifted his hand to her face and for a moment, Yuu thought that he would caress her. "Memorize my scent."

 _Oh._ The girl squashed her slight disappointment and breathed deeply, her nose just brushing his scarred skin. He was pine and faint soap - she already knew this too well. "Okay," She said, nodding her head. He didn't pull away however, he came closer and pressed his gloved fingers to the sides of her head, just below her ears and the back of her neck. A quick, highly uncomfortable pulse of chakra invaded her system - and then, she realized with a white-washing panic that she couldn't hear anything and there were no vibrations on her skin. Yuupika's heart pounded in her chest suddenly, and she jumped up from her spot on the floor in the training room, away from Obito, dizzy and overwhelmed. She could think, she could obviously move, but it was like her body was disconnected from her mind, like she was decapitated without warning, and she was just suspended on some body of water. Then she felt faint, like she would tip over and meet the ground at any second, so Yuu clenched her hands tightly, so tight that her nails broke skin and blood dripped downwards - but she couldn't feel any of it. There was fear again, encompassing like a thousand tons of water on top of her because she didn't like this and she had clothes on, but there was no familiar friction and she felt naked. That thought was like a crackle of lightning in her belly, and she was dry-mouthed, tongue too cottony, alert and primed. She had the urge to cover her private parts, for the sake of covering up her vulnerability - but then her senjutsu showed Obito standing calmly before her and his mouth moving.

'You will fight me by tracking just my scent. Deactivate your senjutsu.'

Oh, this was familiar. They had done this before. She was no stranger to this type of harsh training - but Yuu was reluctant. She wondered if she would even feel pain in this state. How many people knew how to do this? How many people could disable her just like that? If she was low on chakra, with no sight and all her other senses cut off, what would happen to her? If she was vulnerable...

A nearly forgotten image of Jungo Kawatake's hand squeezing her neck flooded her brain.

 _It could happen to me...it could happen to me again..._

She was sweaty - she could smell that, if nothing else, and she could see the tiny droplets starting to form.

'Deactivate your senjutsu.' Obito said again, slowly like he was indulging a child and his eyes hardened. Her breath staggered out, lungs shriveling up, because Obito would really hurt her, wouldn't he? He wasn't there when she was being strangled to death - he wasn't there and he would have let her _die. I could really_ _die_... But she knew that there was no disobeying this man. Not when he was her teacher, not when he had temporarily pushed aside any and all feeling for her.

(But how she wanted him to be wrapped up around her finger like a delicate, little string that she could swing around, unfurl, pull taut like a puppet and just _snap_ -)

Yuupika slowly let the nature chakra ease out of her system and the whole world was black again. There was something thrumming in the hollow of her stomach, something that wasn't exactly fear - but it was just as urgent, just as fast and bubbling, darker by whole measures and hotter by halves - it was halving her body. It made her feel like she could do crazy things.

 _...resentment?_

Yuupika bumbled around, being pushed this way and that by fists that she couldn't register and hard, flat feet that should have caused her pain. Yet, outwardly, she felt nothing.

* * *

It was with a startled yelp that Yuupika greeted Zetsu that night, jumping a few inches off of her bed and straining her wounds. She winced, her nerves frazzling like static, but still tried to smile at him. The odd creature was less than enthused – but the kunoichi was honestly surprised that he had showed up. (Or was it 'they'?) That had to mean something, right? That he (they?) liked her even just a bit?

" **Wh** at is **it?"** He demanded.

"Um…how are you? How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while…"

He (they?) stared at her unblinkingly for several awkward seconds, and Yuu fidgeted in Obito's shirt. " **You surely haven't called me here to ask me such asinine questions, have you?** "

The girl paused for a moment – it was disorienting to hear just black Zetsu's voice, rough and unforgiving, like stone grating against stone. "I…-"

He started to sink rapidly back into the ground – and for some reason, she felt like if she didn't say something now (if the words remained unspoken), then there would be something lost that night. There would be something she couldn't get back. Zetsu was a wild card and he was slipping through her fingers like sand.

"Kaguya," The name burst forth and Yuupika didn't know if it was stupid or not that she had said anything at all. _What have I done?_ But the plantman halted abruptly. "Black Zetsu," She addressed him directly, gripping the sheets so tight that her knuckles were straining against her bruised skin. "Kaguya."

There were hands around her neck.


	17. Arrival

A/N: Yo!

I'm so terribly sorry that I post so inconsistently! I've just really been struggling with this semester (my professor was one seriously dodgy arse). But, it's finished now, I've passed my finals and I'm taking the summer off, so yay! I'll be devoting more time than ever to my stories.

Here is the new chapter! Thanks for all the reviews and for sticking around!

Once again, I'm very sorry! Please forgive this lowly author!

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but a copyright only lasts so long...

* * *

Her chakra knew what to do before even she did and pushed itself out of her, saturating the entire room. It was like a large bubble, seeping into the walls, the ceiling, the ground, everything, and Zetsu hissed as if in pain. He withdrew hastily from her, separating from White Zetsu just in time to not be caught up in his rapid transformation into a tree. Yuu scrambled back off the bed, gasping for breath and trembling violently, as it grew to epic proportions, breaking the roof and growing through it to the next floor. She subconsciously continued to channel her chakra, mixing it even more heavily with nature as the tree finally stopped growing, not even an inch of White Zetsu to be seen, and behind the roots of the enormity, Black Zetsu was crumpled on the ground, shaking like a little leaf. Yuupika rubbed her neck gingerly, taking deep breaths to wash away the fear and images of a familiar man as she sat in her own pile of limbs on the other side.

 _He's not here, he's not here, he's not here,_ she kept repeating in her head. _He's dead, you killed him, he's dead, you killed him, you're terrible, you're vile, you're inhuman, and you're_ _ **safe.**_

Slowly, Yuu reined in her terror, her sweaty back and shirt pressed comfortingly against the cool wall for support. She silently assessed the situation. _The original white Zetsu is dead, there's a big ass tree overtaking my room, everything has been turned to stone but us, Black Zetsu is heavily weakened by my potent nature chakra…and I'm okay, I'm not hurt. My neck is a little sore, but…it's okay. Okay. Moving on. What the_ _ **hell**_ _do I say to him?_ The creature's pitiful grunts made her frown. _He can't go anywhere as long as I keep up this technique, but how do I rectify this situation? Or even get him to listen to me? He's hell bent on resurrecting his mother and has been stuck in his ways for like a thousand years. Maybe more. I don't think Talk no Jutsu will work on him. Maybe I can trick him into thinking I'm on his side? I'd have to start spewing some crazy shit. What was it that Kaguya started spouting in the end? The Shinju, the moon, the Rinnegan. Everyone wrapped up in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Zetsu's precious mother._

 _Oh god._

 _And if this doesn't work, I'll just have to flare my chakra even more and alert the others…I'll wait for Obito to trap him in his personal dimension…_

Her Plan B actually sounded better than Plan A.

But, then, they would have to find a way to seal him and everyone would question how she knew such things and if she were to tell them the story, Akatsuki might fall apart because everyone would realize they were being tricked, and everyone would hate her for tricking them and they might even try to kill Obito for tricking them and a whole bunch of other things that just sounded like one big can of worms that Yuu really did not want to open up. She would try this first.

Yuupika rose to her feet, wounds straining, her knees still a bit jelly-like and trudged towards Black Zetzu. He glared up at her as best as he could, his body vibrating more in pain the nearer she drew. The girl did nothing to lessen the pressure and she stopped right in front of him. Bending a little, she gently placed a hand on his smooth, cold face.

"Let's stop fighting. We must both live to see Mother's precious nursery."

He blinked, processing that. His eyes were wide. Distrustful. Disbelieving. Shocked. Just glowing orbs mystery, balefullness and incomprehension.

Yuupika smiled, tender and loving, an image of everyone she cared for in her brain. She pushed those feelings of acceptance and trust into her expression. "You've tried many times and you've failed with all of Indra and Ashura's reincarnations thus far. I'm here, brother, just to make sure nothing goes wrong again. Can we stop fighting?"

Black Zetsu gave an agonizingly gradual nod and Yuupika stepped back from him a safe distance before letting her chakra wane from the room. He immediately flattened himself against the opposite wall, staring at her warily, distastefully, a semblance of fright in his eyes. Just like a cornered animal. " **Mother is…displeased with me? She seeks to punish**?" His rough voice was barely above a whisper.

She blinked, the only indicator of her surprise. But she would tell him what he wanted to hear.

She was a cornered animal as well.

"No. You are precious to her, like Aino."

The tension rolled off of his shoulders and recognition flooded his aura as he stepped off the wall. " **Aino…** " He said, a note of somber remembrance in his tone, hate washing away from him. Yuu felt a bit giddy on her sudden rush of adrenaline. He believed her. Of course. _Of course_ _. I shouldn't know this. Kaguya never told anyone. This was a part of her memories that Hagoromo showed Naruto and Sasuke during the war. Zetsu only knows this because he has her memories as well. Zetsu thinks he can trust me._

 _…_

 _Zetsu is a fool._

" **What shall we do**?" He asked, coming closer and a chill made it's way down her form, like scraping her teeth against rough metal. _Erm…_ Suddenly, he snarled, glaring at the wall towards her left and she turned, perplexed. There was no one there, after all. " **The imposter is coming.** " He nodded towards her. " **I will be back.** " He dropped like stones into the ground and not even a second afterwards, Obito swirled into existence in the room, waves of incredulity and confusion wafting off of him. She realized with a bit of a shock that the creature could literally _feel_ Obito teleporting before he was even there. She took a moment to marvel how incredible his sensory abilities must be. Then she took another moment to tremble in a bit of fear.

"Yuupika…" The Uchiha started, gazing blankly at the large tree in the center of the room, and then all the furniture that had ben turned to stone. "What…?"

"Bad dream, Senpai." She deflected, staring forlornly at her closet where her beautiful kimonos were petrified.

"…Ah." The sound of his robe as he walked past her, mangekyō scanning the unnatural growth. "…is that Shiro Zetsu?" His asked tonelessly and Yuu had to wonder what his face looked like under that mask – that mask that he had imbued with a chakra screen so thick that she could not look past it. She scratched her head, her hair rather oily after all the sweat that she could just now feel on her skin had seeped into it. _Had I been that nervous? So nervous that I was numb to my own body – my own emotion?_ She pondered with a thrill of anxiousness if Black Zetsu had taken her seriously or if he had planned to plunge his hand through her chest as soon as he had gotten close enough? Just as he had done with Madara, when the man had let his guard down, in the moment when he had trusted him unconditionally? Had Obito saved her from death unwittingly?

Yuupika breathed deeply through her nose.

This was a dangerous game she had just entered herself into.

"Yes," The girl finally answered the man in front of her.

Obito ran a gloved, slim hand through his locks, a twitch in his left shoulder. "I see." He pivoted on his heel abruptly and swept her up in his arms, startling her. Her arms came automatically up to wrap around his neck, like she had done it all her life, as if all his sins had been forgotten with the breadth of the second suspended in time. "We will find new quarters."

Yuu felt a little traitorous of herself, remembering what had transpired just earlier that day, but refrained from moving. The man's heart beat steadily, slowly in his chest as she was pressed up against it, her breath on his collarbone and his over the side of her face, cool and controlled. His fingers were grasping her lightly, the material over them burning her in the places where it touched her skin. Yuu felt her own fingertips sliding along his shoulder, and through the fabric of his shirt, felt the goosebumps that raised there – and her digits ghosted up his neck, feeling the unexpected (but not unwelcome) _thu-thump_ of his pulse jumping – and then along his jawline, defined, _beautiful_ , cutting if he turned too fast or tilted his face just so. She felt something in her stomach stirring awkwardly, like a whirlpool that began to swirl into existence, never before felt, never before so strongly, and it lifted up her middle like she was falling through air, making her head feel just shy of light.

"Yuupika." His voice broke through it and the feeling curtly left, just a whisper in the wind. Fleeting as if it were never there. She blinked, a blush painting her face suddenly, and refrained from speaking. What…what _was_ that? What was she doing just now? What had she been thinking? She was still angry! Still resentful, still unforgiving of his actions. But…that feeling…it was like-

She closed her eyes tightly, crushing her thoughts, and turned her face into his shoulder. _Oh, this cruelly enamoring monster of a man… What more abuse would you have me suffer?_ It was silent for the rest of the way.

* * *

"Lift your elbow more and bring it in towards your body." Kakuzu commanded and she made the proper adjustments. "Good. Breaking Faith." Yuu slid down into a crouch her bo extened outwards as if to sweep an enemy off of their feet. "Iron Fortress Number Three, First Kata." She spun counter-clockwise, her bo positioned diagonally to block. "Iron Fortress Number Three, Second and Third Katas." She pushed, moving forward like fluid water to break into her imaginary opponent's guard and flicked her wrist to imitate a snap of her staff that would hit them in the temple. "Flying Frigate, Fourth Kata." She flipped backwards on one hand, spinning her bo expertly with the other to deflect unseen projectiles and landed in a squat, ready to push off again. "Breaking the Temple, 10 Hands." Yuu used her bo to attack in short, precise jabs to pretend pressure points, hard enough to break bone.

This routine continued for another five minutes until the miser called, "Stop! Assume first position." She moved into a loose stance with her body angled sideways and her bo slightly in front of her, bent just so at the knees, back straight, core engaged. The man observed her for a moment before a haughty smirk spread his lips. "At ease." She stood up like a board, feet shoulder length apart, her bo held beside her and slightly behind. Kakuzu approached leisurely, a cloth in one hand that he tied to her forehead. "Congratulations. You have passed the test of advancement and now wear the purple band of the changing dawn. Bear it proudly as you continue on your journey to enlightenment."

Yuupika bowed. "Thank you, sensei. I will make you proud."

* * *

She stared at the small slip of paper, calligraphy a beautiful display of curves and lines, at the words presented there and what they meant to her. How much could they mean to her? How much could they mean to others?

 _Irrational._

Her mind kept repeating that, kept playing the faces and the memories over and over. She was supposed to have been over it, supposed to have processed everything and laid to rest any lingering feelings. But, like stagnant water, they stayed, motionless where they were rooted in her chest. Yuu brushed her calloused fingers over the skin of her torso, made for them to stop on the precious teardrop that hung from her neck. The new cord was just the same as the last one and Yuupika couldn't help but think of the temporary leather rope that once held it, the taste of sweat, damp dirt, and blood in her mouth around the coarse material, and the small line of a scar between her undeveloped breasts. She touched that too, taking a moment to remember how the wound dripped and made her head light, her awareness hazy. The eyes of the tiger flashed in her mind, menacing, not unlike Jungo Kawatake's. Her first kill. Certainly not her last. Yuupika closed her eyes and behind her eyelids, her senjutsu deactivated, she saw the guard tower exploding in the distance, mushy brain matter and skull shards washing down her face and her hair with the rain. The petrified pieces of a strong, cold man that she despised with everything inside of her and more. Yuupika despised him with things that didn't belong to her, she despised him with the lives of other people, she despised him with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Things she didn't have any right to, that shouldn't and didn't matter to her, things that she didn't matter to.

Because Yuupika couldn't help but see every body part of her loved ones superimposed over his, she couldn't help but hear otherworldly screams superimposed over his silence, holes that didn't belong superimposed over the palms of her hands, a face that was much too cutting and beautiful superimposed over his bulbous features. She despised that dead man.

And she thought that she had let it go.

What was happening to her? What were these dark, perverse, unholy thoughts? These unholy desires?

 _Desire is not enough._

Yuupika let out a heavy, stuttering breath as she recited the words again. What did they mean to her? And what did _that_ mean _for_ her? Orochimaru's smile was almost tangible in front of her in the darkness, his image like a specter before her, legs crossed, a cheek resting on his knuckles lazily. ' _If you want to succeed in all your endeavors,_ _desire is not enough._ _'_ Yuu dragged her fingers back and forth over the length of the slowly fading scar. She had more than desire, she had unfailing ambition. Her fears were irrational. Her nightmares were irrational. Anyone who could ever threaten her or her loved ones was-

The girl blinked. _No. That's not correct._ There were many men who had the power, the means, the will. She sifted through her memories, naming them, giving them faces, acknowledging those who could kill her precious people and destroy all the happiness she had worked so hard for.

Unseeing eyes glared coldly in the darkness.

* * *

Small, slim fingers deftly moved through lengthy tresses, soothing out knots and massaing her scalp. The smell of night blooming cereus filled the air, a little bit like vanilla and a little bit like honey. The warm water was soothing to her muscles, washing away any grime or sweat from the night. Yuu hummed lowly as she moved her loofah over her skin, lathering herself with foaming soap. _I wonder what I should do with my hair today? It is a special occasion, after all…_ She dumped the bucket of water beside the bath over her head, feeling the residue of bubbles slide off. _I could braid it or I could curl it._ Yuu considered her options as she stepped out of the bath and began to pat dry, wrapping her large towel around her form when she was done. She sat down at her vanity, sorting her knee-length waves with the oriental comb that Konan had given her and ogling the vase of blooming carnations on the edge the table top. _I think a braid would be more practical, with flowers weaved in._ She pictured it with a smile. _Yes, very pretty. I'll do a fishtail._ She sang old songs from her previous world, as she worked swiftly, her experienced fingers merely blurs of motion among the sea of dark strands.

 _And tell me why does my heart burn when I see your face?_

 _You have made your decision, put me in my place_

 _And the lies you've been hiding, taking up your space_

 _Tell me, why does my heart burn this way_

 _When I see your face?_

She hummed the tune, moving her head side to side as she tied off the ends of her hair. She grinned at the sight of her handiwork in the mirror, carefully moving the long braid over her shoulder. Yuu turned to the small dresser beside the vanity, opening the doors to pluck out specific makeup from her meticulously labeled collection (courtesy of her wonderful mother) for the day's look - evening out her skin tone, accentuating her cheekbones and jawline, highlighting the tip of her eyes, slim nose, soft chin, cupid's bow, brushing mascara over her lashes, dusting on a pale pink blush to match the light sheen of gloss on her lips…

Yuupika smirked at the final product. She may never know just who her real parents were, but she thanked all the gods for the lovely features they gave her. As innocent and cute as she was now, Yuu delighted in the beauty she knew she would become. She thanked Orochimaru for teaching her to hide the markings of senjutsu on her face so that everyone could see, the only tell left visible being the golden glow of her eyes – and that was rather minor in itself.

 _All this time you left me wanting more,_

 _Had me swallowing all of my pride_

 _Wonder where this part of you came from?_

 _It was hidden in the shallow of your eyes…_

Yuu left her bathroom and happily stepped into adjacent closet. She was more than pleased with the room she had moved into a mere month ago. This one was much more befitting of someone of her station, much more spacious, with many luxury fixes. The girl scanned her carefully labeled wardrobe. She quickly chose a pale teal dress that came down to her ankles, riddled with camellias to match the ones in her hair. She slipped into it, zipping it up in the back all the way to the neckline, then rearranged her hair.

 _Lover, why you been hiding from the places we've been?_

 _From the places we've been?_

Yuupika smoothed imaginary wrinkles and exited her room, finding Juzo and Kakuzu waiting patiently outside. When the swordsman laid eyes on her, he kicked off the wall and smiled.

"Yuu-chan! You look great! Ready to go?"

She nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Kakuzu scanned her with appraising eyes. "Fitting." He said. She wasn't sure if he meant her dress or something else. She smiled softly at him anyway and looped her arm through his. The chatter was minimum as they traveled down the tower and they stopped for a few minutes to greet the shinobi on the lowest floors. She was given well wishes and the gift of a hand-crafted bracelet from a shy girl a couple years her junior, who Juzo warmly regarded at 'Kei-chan'. Yuupika smiled, thanked her, and promptly slipped it on.

Outside, Pain, Sasori, and Konan waited, a repelling gravity field above warding off the rain. Konan cradled her face tenderly and set a kiss on her brow. "Safe travels, baby. Write me often, okay?" Yuu nodded, leaning into her touch before the woman pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kaa-san."

Pain's fingers weaved into the bluenette's hair and pulled her head into his chest, kissing her crown briefly. Their eyes closed for but a second and Yuu knew it for what it was, how their chakra mingled and relayed more than they could ever say in words. Her heart fluttered and in her mind, she saw a beautiful woman carding through her husband's wild locks as he adoringly caressed her swollen stomach – a small eternity pressed into a span of a single moment, time slowing and the world turning on it's axis. _Yuri, Kazuki…Mama…Papa…_

A note of sorrow arrested her and she averted her attentions. Sasori noticed, smiled at her in that gentle way that he always did and she readily reciprocated.

"Let's go, Princess." Pain said, now at her side. Kakuzu and Juzo flanked them and Sasori easily slid behind them. Yuu's hand came up and fit into her father's, feeling his chakra brush her palm and his startling Rinnegan orbs regard her fondly. He gazed into the distance then, seeing something far beyond the jungle of buildings in front of them. "Our Konohan escorts have arrived at the gates."

* * *

"Amekage-sama, Amehime-sama."

Yuupika recognized them before they even approached, but it was still a wonder to see those faces so up close – barring the one she already had an encounter with. The team of four rose from their bows, glancing rather indiscreetly at Pain's gravity-umbrella, and Yuu studied the dripping faces of Kakashi Hatake, Kotestu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki, and Itachi Uchiha. She almost shuddered, but it would have looked suspicious since the air was warm and she was dry. Instead, she gave them a small smile.

"Thank you for escorting us." Her tone was friendly, familiar. At least, she hoped, as she faced her fears head-on. "Itachi-san. It's wonderful to see you again."

"And you as well, Amehime-sama." His expression was passive, pleasant. She couldn't help but feel that it wasn't completely genuine. And well, she could understand that. She still could picture his face in the busted up state she had left it in. If he had done something similar, Yuu really doubted she would have had the capacity to sound so utterly unbothered. A small, thin line adorned the skin on his forehead and Yuu couldn't hold back a surprised few blinks. _He kept it? Why?_ He stretched out his hand, simultaneously drawing back her attention, palm up and relaxed. "May I help you into your carriage?"

 _Ah – and that is where he is trying to make a good impression. Did his father order him to secure me as a bride? Is he simply carrying out his duty? Hm…_

"Of course," Yuu's smile widened a bit and she placed her appendage atop his, heat seeping through where he lightly grasped it. Pain's eye twitched rather violently and on the side, Kotetsu began to smirk before Kakashi discreetly stepped on his toes. The chūnin winced, his body tensing as pain flitted over his features. _Heh. Serves that chump right._ Itachi supported her weight without complaint as she hoisted herself up into the spacious cabin, then moved to the side as Pain followed after her. The man stared at the raven for a few unnerving moments, his mouth opening-

"Uchiha-san. Sit with us." He didn't even request. Yuu shifted a little uncomfortably in her plush seat, the sound of fabric in her ears.

The rest of the party sent him pitying looks, though Yuupika couldn't understand why-

"Of course, Amekage-sama." The boy didn't even falter and Yuupika felt the urge to smile again at his bravery. Her Tou-san could be a very scary man.

The boy lifted himself inside the carriage gracefully and sat opposite of them, closing the door after him. A good minute went by as the muffled murmurs outside discussed who would take what position in the guard, and not long after, the soft crap of a whip spit the air and the coachman began to guide them down the path away from Amegakure.

It was awkwardly silent.

Then, "Uchiha-san."

"Please, call me Itachi, sir."

"Itachi." _No honorific, what is the matter with you, Papa?_ _He's just being polite!_

"Yes, sir?"

"You are the heir to the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes, sir."

"How old are you?"

"Eleven, sir."

"What are your intentions towards my daughter?"

Itachi blinked for the first time during their diminutive conversation and a bead of sweat ran down the back of his neck. _Oh,_ Yuupika finally realized with horror. _Oh my god. Pain is… Oh my god._ The girl almost dropped her face into her hands in embarrassment and she was sure that a blush had adorned her cheeks. She tried to send an apologetic look towards him, but Pain was pinning Itachi so hard with his eyes that she didn't think he even noticed. So, instead, Yuu sighed inaudibly, peering mournfully out the half-drawn window and ignoring (with herculean effort) the interrogation that was happening beside her.

(and also the poorly-concealed sniggers of the entourage outside that she silently promised vengeance on, but she digressed-)

 _Konoha, here I come._

…

 _(that man is not ready for my wrath)_


	18. What A Girl Wants

A/N: Yo!

So we got some more plot development and a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter...I know that you guys have lots of questions and trust me, they will all be answered! With time... (I haven't forgotten about Hikaru Hyūga - you'll see him soon enough)

Anyways, thank you guys so much for all the love and reviews! I really appreciate you guys so much!

Don't forget to vote on who you'd like to see Yuupika with!

(P.S. : Yuu-chan can henge into the people she remembers from the show, with some small changes. She cannot, however, henge into someone she hasn't seen in color ~ i.e., any OC or back round characters that hardly got screen time)

Enjoooyyyy!

Disclaimers: Blah, blah, blah, Kishimoto. I own only my precious Yuupika. Do I have to do this every chapter?

* * *

They arrived at the towering red gates an hour before schedule, even going at a civilian's pace in the carriage. Yuupika was unused to the heat – especially wearing the formal, deep blue kimono that she had changed into at a hotel on the border. She was _9 years old_ , like seriously, what suitor would want an underdeveloped pre-teen? Why couldn't she just wear normal clothes? Even so, she was grateful that she wasn't sweating bullets. She sighed and Pain patted her back comfortingly. She averted her gaze from the window and peered up at him – he gave her a closed smile, just a quirk in the corner of his mouth. Reaching her senses out, Yuu could see a Kage Bunshin Konan building up a paper tree to keep his real body in and promptly ushering them both inside. Yuupika had made sure to freeze and store food in various scrolls for them. They would be sheltered, hidden, and well fed. Nothing to worry about, besides boredom. It was a vague reminder of the invasion she was trying to prevent a decade from now.

Yuu just sighed again and slipped her fingers in between his. Pain squeezed her small hand gently and she took comfort from it, closing her eyes briefly as he deftly slipped a silky blindfold around her head. They had just recently started spending more time together daily as she learned how to run a country under his tutelage, (which was a tedious and mind-numbing affair) and the time was usually spent with her sitting on his lap, feeling his frigid cold against her heated form. Yuu could say she was quite used to it now, though she was quite curious as to how the hell Yahiko's body stayed so perfectly preserved. It looked cold as Yuki country ( _kinda purple, yuck)_ , no heartbeat or anything, but plenty of chakra and those eyes… well, anyways, the Hokage and a small entourage were awaiting them. Outside the carriage to her right was Kakuzu, her second Tou-chan. She tapped on the glass almost inaudibly and he looked over at her, his gaze soft and reassuring.

' _It's alright, I'm here_ ,' was the message and Yuu felt her cheeks flush with happiness. Juzo stood on Pain's left and Sasori at the rear, directly behind her, as the long ranged specialist. Zetsu was lurking inside of Konoha already, gathering information. She was safe. Her people were here to protect her – her family stood by her side. Of course, Orochimaru could not attend, but he would be with her for every other visit. They had to go to four other countries, after all.

Her obi proudly adorned Ame's symbol, and Pain's kage robes had _Shodaime_ emblazoned down the back. He looked regal in his attire, ever fitting of his title – the second coming of the Rikudo Sennin. It wasn't easy to bring about the recognition of Ame, but she had worked hard to make it happen. With it now being the main hub of production and export on the continent, there was no other choice but to be recognized. It overwhelmed her with joy. She was the child genius inventor, prodigy, and heir to the world's throne. She had a hand in every country, even the minor ones, even Iron. She could rip the whole world apart if she wanted to, with just a few words. _Ah~._

The carriage came to a gentle stop, and Itachi, who had escaped Pain's interrogation as soon as they hit the border, appeared just outside to help her down, seeming to ignore the new wrap around her face. The door opened and his hand was there – she took it, let him support her weight with a thankful smile. Pain came out next, standing tall and regal as ever (even though he all but snatched her hand from Itachi the first chance he got). She held back a chuckle at his overprotectiveness. It seemed he really did not think this whole marriage affair out, since he was having such a hard time dealing with even chaste contact like this. Their escorts formed a protective circle around them, with her family in the back and the Konohans at the front, leading the way. The Konohans rejoined their own upon reaching the gates, Itachi just outright excusing himself and flickering away. She wondered where he had gone and if his behavior was considered rude.

"Welcome, Amekage-sama, Amehime and company." Hiruzen greeted them politely and bowed a bit. Yuupika studied his contingent – Kakashi, Yamato, and – _holy shit, is that Jiraiya?! He's gaping like a fish at Yahiko's body._ She could see the ANBU carefully hidden around them. When Hiruzen rose again, his eyes widened upon gazing into Pain's and Yuu felt the shock from him in waves at seeing the Rinnegan. She would be shocked as well. They certainly hadn't been there the last time the two met.

Pain bowed back to him, "Hokage-sama." And then turned to Jiraiya who was frozen like a deer caught in headlights and bowed to him too, a little deeper this time. "Jiraiya-sensei. I'm glad to see you are well." _Bullshit, Tou-san…_

"Yahiko!" The pervert exclaimed, breathless. "Where is Nagato…? Konan…?" The man to her left frowned at this.

"Nagato is dead. Konan stayed in Ame as Kage in my stead." He answered without missing a beat, turning back to the Sarutobi and disregarding the man. _Damn, that was cold, even for you Tou-san._ "Shall we proceed, Hokage-sama? I do believe we have much to discuss." The Hokage nodded, fixing his expression into a polite mask once more and gestured for them to follow him. They walked through the streets, the sea of people parting and staring at them in awe as they passed. At some point, she saw a familiar head of spiked hair and wide, dopey eyes accompanying the largest well of chakra she had ever seen. She smiled right at Naruto and waved (because fuck being a blind, pretentious princess that only talks to those equal to her station, he needed some kindness), and his grin of a million watts almost overwhelmed her as he waved back wildly. She chuckled into her sleeve and he must have blushed because he hid his face in his hands and stared bashfully at the ground. Pain took notice of him immediately and the look in his eye was somewhat predatory – yes, he was probably thinking about all the plans for the kyūbi jinchūriki's capture. Yuupika shivered, squeezing his hand a bit to refocus his attention back on the road in front of him as Kakuzu handed her an umbrella to shade her from the sun.

The miser surveyed the area coolly wherever they went, keeping close to Yuupika as if she would be attacked at any moment. Some shinobi landed up on the rooftops and huddled in groups, watching with calculating eyes and whispering among each other quietly. Yuu understood – it wasn't every day that you saw so many S-Class missing nin in one place, let alone willingly protecting a Kage and his child. But Pain didn't trust any of the other Rain ninja to do a better job of keeping her safe like he knew this bunch would. It was tense on some level, but no one could attack. These shinobi officially belonged to Rain and to attack Rain was basically to commit political suicide in the eyes of the whole continent nowadays. It would be suicide even if that wasn't the case.

When they reached the tower, two unmistakable clan heads were waiting outside, with the heirs beside them. She recognized them – Hyūga and Uchiha. She was beyond flabbergasted however to see Neji, who looked freakishly older than he should be, standing with Hiashi… with no curse mark on his forehead. _That…can be taken off…?_

The doors behind two main clan heads opened and the elders stepped out, coming to stand to beside Hiruzen with smiles. Yuu didn't miss the lingering orbs of her father on Danzō and she understood that completely. She was actually surprised he didn't have a more severe reaction, considering the horrible sins that the elder committed in the past. She would be pissed as all hell, shitting bricks and tearing up the ground if she came face to face with the killer of her loved ones and dreams.

"Amehime, these are the two main clans of Konoha who meet the prerequisites for marriage, their heads and heirs. We present them to you as potential suitors." Hiruzen spoke softly. The Hokage and elders stepped aside and the Uchiha used freakish speed to step forward before the Hyūga, Fugaku's hand shoving a now formally dressed Itachi's back, causing him to follow.

They bowed. "Amehime. I am Fugaku Uchiha representing the Uchiha clan. This is my first son and heir, Itachi. We would be honored if you would consider him as a potential suitor." He spoke and Yuupika nodded ( _I wonder how hard it was for him to say that?)_ , bowing back before handing Kakuzu the umbrella as she stepped forward towards the duo.

"I graciously accept the Uchiha clan's proposal." She intoned and raised her hands to hover just above Itachi's face. _He's several inches taller than me, jesus. Am I really that short_? She wailed forlornly on the inside. "May I, Itachi-san?" He eyed her hands warily, uncomprehendingly, but grunted in affirmation and slowly closed his eyes.

"May I ask what for?" He spoke as her fingertips pressed tenderly against his forehead and slid down to his brow.

"Well," She humored him, swooping along his nose as she touched his eyelids and moved to brush along his cheekbones. He reminded her of someone… "When my dōjutsu is not activated, I am quite blind."

He blinked rapidly several times as she followed the lining of his face to run her fingers on the underside of his jaw and trace his lips with her thumbs. Itachi's eyes were glued to her almost disbelievingly and Yuupika gave him a knowing smile which made his face heat up just the barest hints as she stepped away. Kakuzu was right beside her, holding her umbrella up to provide her with shade and together, they proceeded to greet the Hyūga. It took everything inside of Yuupika not to burst out laughing at the constipated look on Pain's face.

"Amehime," Hiashi's voice was evermore smooth compared to Fugaku's gruff one, Neji and him stepping forward and bowing. Yuupika reciprocated. "I am Hiashi Hyūga, representing the Hyūga clan. This is my nephew and heir, Neji. The Hyuuga clan would be honored if you would consider him as a potential suitor." _Oh my god, Neji is taller than me. Isn't he supposed to be like… a year or two younger than I or something? It really doesn't look like it. What the heck, Kishimoto?_

"I graciously accept the Hyūga Clan's proposal." She spoke gingerly and drew closer to the boy in front of her, lifting her hands once more. "May I, Neji-san?"

"You may, Amehime."

 _Is his voice really supposed to be deeper than mine?! He still sounds like a child, but…_

She felt along his face with the same gentleness that she had felt Itachi's with but the difference this time happened to be that Neji was very…well…very…

 _Cute._

Her whole face warmed and she covered it with the fan that was safely stored in her sleeve – but she saw the way the corner of Hiashi's lip twitched upwards and the muscle under Fugaku's eyebrow spasm minutely. He was pleased by her reaction, as were the elders off to the right. ( _they're trying to push the Uchiha into a corner more and more, trying to oust them and remove any influence they have. They don't want me to marry Itachi, to give the Uchiha a significant boost back to the top.)_ The prodigy in front of her kept a steady gaze, suddenly lifting his hand to her cheek, fingering the edges of her blind fold.

"May I, Amehime?" He asked and Yuupika internally panicked, feeling out Pain for any help. The Rinnegan user just stood, his chakra disgruntled, but not giving her any signals. _Oh god._ She gave him a shy smile and lowered her fan as an 'okay' to him, quickly cutting off her connection with nature chakra as he untied the white cloth and gingerly pulled it off. Yuupika lifted her chin slightly and made a glacial show of opening her eyelids to expose her black, unfocused orbs to him. The vibrations in the air told her of Itachi's intense study of their color change.

"You have beautiful eyes, Amehime." Neji told her and damn, if she didn't feel like a fuckin' tomato at that point.

"Thank you, Neji-san." Yuu murmured and he didn't waste any time securing the cover back over her. The instant it was tied, she connected with nature chakra again and almost doubled over from seeing the tenderness that was in his gaze. _What the hell? Who is this? This is not Neji!_

Kakuzu touched her upper back and she walked away as hastily as maintaining a graceful image would allow her to, retreating to Pain's side. Humor was rolling off of Juzo in waves and Yuu hated (loved) him for it.

Her Tou-san turned to her, placing a large hand upon her shoulder. "Yuupika, it's best if you retire to our quarters. I have business to attend to that might take a while." His deep voice was soft and she heeded his words, bowing.

"Of course, Otou-sama. I will await your return." He nodded, exchanging a secret look with Kakuzu and gesturing for Sasori and Juzo to accompany him into the building. Fugaku quickly turned to Itachi to say something, but stopped with gritted teeth when Neji came straight up to her without even a word from Hiashi. _Oh, oh shit-_

"Amehime-sama, may I accompany you on your walk home?" He inquired. _He's really trying to stuff the cat in the bag as soon as possible, isn't he?_

"Of course, Neji-san." She told him, because she wasn't going to be rude and she had already planned for something like this, even though she was panicking like she told herself she wouldn't. "It would be a pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine," He said and took her hand, placing a kiss upon the knuckles and holding it to his presented arm. _What the fuck, he's supposed to be like 7 or 8, who taught him how to act like a bache – ah. Damn you, Hiashi._ The aforementioned man was glancing between the two with satisfaction, clasping his hands behind his back and just barely smirking at the Uchiha clan head before disappearing inside the Hokage tower with the rest of the congregation. _Just great._ Fugaku dismissed his son and followed after, a tightness to his shoulders that wasn't there before. Yuu held back a sigh. _It seems this is not really about me at all – never mind my alleged heritage or the political gain of marriage. It seems this has just dissolved into a petty squabble between two overly prideful men._ With a gentle tug from the boy, Neji and her began to walk, Kakuzu just a step behind and holding the umbrella above them both.

"Are you enjoying Fire Country so far, Amehime-sama?" _He's trying to make immediate conversation to cement himself in my mind as memorable._ It was a technique Yuu was familiar with and had put into practice many times. It had been taught to her by her mother, to entertain high-ranking officials.

"Hai, Neji-san. It is a beautiful place. And please, call me Yuupika." The boy smiled sweetly, a foreign expression that unnerved her. _Who is this boy, really? Is that warmth genuine?_

"Yuupika-san. Quite a beautiful name." Neji complimented. "Superior shining light." _Ah… quite the poetic translation. He came prepared to this war._

 _Wait, what?_

Yuu chuckled and nodded. "Thank you." _Kaa-san, where would I be without these manners you taught me…_

The rest of the way was filled with pleasant talk, and they bowed to each other upon reaching the house in the Sarutobi district that her party was supposed to use during their stay. They agreed to attend a casual lunch together tomorrow. Goodbyes were exchanged and he respectfully waited until the door to the house was closed before leaving. As soon as he was out of hearing range, she latched onto Kakuzu, groaning frustratedly.

"Tou-chaann!"

The stitched nin sighed, "What?"

"…why is he so pretty?"

Kakuzu's eyebrow raised. "Do you like him already?"

"What? No!" She had barely just met him! She didn't know anything about him, nothing at all! Even if he was quite pleasing to the eyes… Yuu could feel herself flush again and Kakuzu just stared at her, unimpressed. Yuu buried her face in his robes, embarrassed of her own behavior. _These stupid, stupid hormones! I hate puberty! I hate it!_ "Stop _looking_ at me like that!" Her admonishing voice was muffled by the fabrics, but the man heard it anyway, sighing again. It sounded more annoyed than anything.

"Brat," His rough fingers lifted her chin. He flicked her nose, something in the set of his mouth. "…don't grow up too fast."

… _unexpected._

After a few seconds of silence, she hugged him again. "Yeah."

* * *

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Yes, it was the middle of the night. Yuu hadn't gone to sleep, she was instead reviewing a book she was going to publish, but the noise disturbed her nonetheless. She spread her senses out towards the window. A panting boy sat there, with wild hair and wild eyes, his clothes ragged and dirty. _Naruto…?_ Yuupika immediately shot up and made her way over, opening the thing and taking a step back as he tumbled in.

He hardly even acknowledged her and quickly shoved the window closed, dropping to the floor. Seconds later, ANBU appeared at the glass and tapped it. She opened, once again, bewildered.

"My apologies, Amehime-sama, has anyone disturbed your night so far?" The one with the boar mask asked her and she shook her head. The two men nodded and bowed, disappearing as fast as they had come into the night. Slowly, she closed the window again and drew the thick blinds to discourage any more intruders. The boy below her sighed in relief.

"Wow… I didn't know if you'd help me, but you did! Thanks, nee-chan!" He exclaimed, hugging her legs briefly, then pulling back as if burned. "S-Sorry."

"What's…what's going on?" Yuupika was already piecing together the story but asked anyway, lowering to her knees in her nightgown to be at his level. _And how did he find me anyway? Know which bedroom was mine?_

"Well, I was trying to set up a prank for Jiji, but those bastards were waiting for me! So I had to run! And I saw you coming here earlier and you waved at me, so I just thought you might help me… I mean, nobody else does that, 'ttebayo." He was mumbling by the end, twiddling his fingers like Hinata. _Cute_. "Oi, why do wear that thing on your head? How are you supposed to see?"

"I don't need my eyes to see." She told him and he just stared at her oddly, like she had a screw loose. Yuu suppressed irritation. "So, what's your name?" At this, his whole expression brightened and he bolted up without warning, his hand flying to his chest.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!" He hollered.

"SHHH!" She slapped a hand over his mouth and felt around the house for any disturbances in a panic. _Thank god…_ She released a pent up breath. _Everybody's still asleep._ Yuu lowered her hand and Naruto scratched the back of his head guiltily.

"Ano…sorry." He whispered.

"It's…fine. Just don't be so loud! If you wake someone up, you'll be kicked out!" She chided lowly and he nodded.

"So…" She pursed her lips a little awkwardly, absentmindedly noting their height difference. He was only a few inches shorter, despite being three years younger. Was she really that small for her age? "I'm Yuupika Uzumaki."

His big eyes shined in the lamplight emitting from behind her. It cast interesting shadows on his face. "Are you…my family?" Naruto whispered. A pang of something like pity hit her chest and Yuu didn't deliberate for long before reaching out for the hands limply hanging by his sides. It was odd that they weren't much smaller than hers. Odd that they weren't calloused and encompassing like those of her family. Idly, it hit Yuupika that she didn't often have interaction with anyone outside of Akatsuki, so skin-ship with strangers, even just holding hands like this, unsettled her. She was uncomfortable. _But, he's got no one._ The girl reminded herself. She scanned his filthy clothes with no small amount of revulsion. He looked like she had when she was out in the wilderness, struggling for her life. _How did he come to be in such a state? How can anyone let him run around like…that? Ugh, you know what? Never mind. Not going there._

"Maybe," She murmured belatedly. "We might be cousins."

Yuu was enveloped in a tight hug before she even realized it, his perky nose nuzzling her neck. She blinked, startled, as he exclaimed excitedly, "Wow! I have a family! _I have a family_!" His small fists held her tightly. "You're a princess, right?" He looked up to her with such innocent wonder that Yuu immediately felt suffocated. _No one_ looked at her like that – and they shouldn't. And he really needed to get off before he permanently sullied her nightgown. "Does that make me a prince, 'ttebayo?!"

"E-Eh, um…" She prioritized prying his surprisingly strong limbs off of her and holding his shoulders at a bit of a distance afterwards. _Well…if we're talking hierarchy and Tou-san is the king of the nations, the Kage of different villages being dukes…then Naruto is technically a 'duke' as well, being the son of a (former) Kage and 'grandson' to the current one…_ "You're like a…duke, Naruto-kun. That comes right after a prince."

"Whoa…" His awestruck gaze went right through her, orbs glazing over. Then, he pumped one fist in the air, shouting, " _Yatta!_ " Yuupika immediately slapped a hand over his mouth again, spreading her senjutsu all over the house. It was really just her luck that Sasori stirred in his bed, sitting up with tense muscles. _Shit!_

Yuu pushed Naruto towards her large bed and stuffed him underneath, ignoring his lost and guilty look. "Shh!" She pressed a finger over her lips as Sasori started walking out of his room and towards hers. " _Don't make a sound! Don't even move!_ " She hurriedly fixed the bedskirt over the ruffian's location to hide him as best as she could and jumped back onto the mattress, relaxing in a comfortable position with her book just in time for Sasori to peek his head through the door.

"Yuu-chan?" His sharp eyes slanted quickly around the room and she glanced up from the words she was pretending to read, a deceptively innocent candidness to her features.

"Yes?"

He was silent for a few more more seconds as he studied the room again – then the tension eased from his shoulders and he graced her with a small smile. "Good night."

She reciprocated. "Good night, Sasori-nii."

The puppeteer gingerly closed her door and her senchakra showed him leisurely walking back to his room down the hall, yawning as he tumbled into bed again. Yuupika let out shaky breath after a moment and slid off the mattress to her knees, lifting the bedskirt.

"C'mon," She gestured with a hand and Naruto obediently crawled out from underneath the furniture. "That was _way_ too close." She grumbled, bonking him lightly on the head. "You gotta be quieter!"

He nodded fervently, cradling his crown. The girl sighed and helped him up. "Sorry for hitting you, alright?" Another sweep over his clothes. "…let's get you cleaned up for bed."

Chakra swirled in his cheeks. "H-Huh?"

"C'mon." Yuu pulled him over to the dresser that her casual clothes were stored in, pulling out a short sleeved shirt and loose pants. She placed it in his hands. "I don't have any underwear that would fit you, but...you can keep these. Use the bathroom right there," she pointed to a door on the adjacent wall to the exit. "And take a good shower. As long as you want. Okay?"

He shrank away from her and for a brief moment, Yuu panicked, wondering what she did wrong. "…no foolin'?" Naruto questioned guardedly. _'No foolin'? Does he mean to…ask if I'm serious? Has anyone taught this kid proper speech?_ The girl bit the skin behind her closed lips. _Okay. I'm not gonna go there. I don't wanna know._

"…no foolin'."

His head lowered, shoddy bangs hanging over his downturned eyes. It was noiseless for a moment, then the boy pivoted on his heel and strode into the bathroom, closing the door softly after him. Yuupika swallowed and scratched the back of her head worriedly. _What's with him? And how did he evade the ANBU stationed around the house? That sneaky little knucklehead… He could make a seriously impressive agent in espionage._ She sighed as the water turned on, the _pitter-patter_ of droplets hitting the shower floor drifting faintly into the room, and dusted herself off before climbing back into bed. She picked up the draft of her book again, bound tightly by string. It was another thirty minutes before the small boy peeped his head out of the bathroom. Yuu looked up at him, smiling as welcomingly as she could, and patted the bed next to her. It was full sized, more than big enough for the two of them, with plush pillows and velvety sheets, the comforter thick and wide.

Naruto blushed, shuffling out of the bathroom with garments that were a couple sizes too big for him – unexpectedly looking entirely too cute for Yuu to handle – and swiftly approached the bed, hopping up onto the mattress and burying himself in the fabrics. _He's just like a little puppy._ Yuu tittered at the mental image of the blonde with floppy ears and a tail, and rested her book on the nightstand, clicking the lamp off right after. She settled herself lethargically, propping up her pillows to support her and bringing up the covers to the middle of her torso. A Naruto-sized lump fidgeted by her legs.

"What's wrong?" She inquired in a subdued voice, still smiling wryly at his antics. The sound of shifting sheets.

"I've never slept in anything this soft." He divulged after a short while, voice just as muffled. Yuu had no words for that, her lips falling into a frown. _Ah, well…_ The girl patted him consolingly. The air was still for a great while. Then, just as she thought she was falling asleep, the boy spoke up again.

"Nee-chan?" He whispered.

"Hmm?"

"…do you wanna play with me tomorrow?"

"Sure." Drowsiness slurred her tone. "Go t' sleep, Naruto…"

Hesitantly, he scooted closer to her, his heat mixing with her own as he draped himself half over her. Their new position was quite intimate ( _once again, I feel like the Sasuke to someone's Sakura)_ , but Yuu was really just too tired to care. "Okay…"

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was gone, only the subtle scent of dirt and sunshine left behind as a memory. Yuupika blinked awake, yawning and shivering in the rather chilly air of her room. _Did Juzo forget to turn off the a/c last night? What a chump…_ She patted around, noting at the absence of the jinchūriki and plucking a single strand of spiky hair off of her bed. The girl tapped into her senjutsu and inspected it for a moment, then turned to the nightstand and stuffed it in between the pages of her book. Not a second later, Kakuzu came knocking, not even waiting for an answer as he stepped inside.

"Good. You're up." He drew back the curtains, letting the light of the sun come in through the window. "You have a date at noon, in case you forgot, brat."

"Mmm," Yuu rubbed her eyes through her blindfold. "Do I have to go?"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "It's almost ten. Go take a shower."

Yuupika sighed and threw off the comforter as Kakuzu opened her closet and started rifling through her dresses and kimonos. "Something that matches with my eyes, please, 'Kuzu-chan." She requested as she trudged sleepily over to the bathroom.

He grunted as she closed the door behind her and began her routine. She showered with gardenia-fragranced soap, using freesia in her hair to compliment it and scentless lotion after drying off. She brushed her teeth and combed out her hair, deciding to braid it, then let it loose when it dries to create natural waves. A light application of mascara, chapstick, and the faintest of blushes was all she wore for makeup. An hour later, Yuu escaped the bathroom with steam trailing out after her, finding an absence of Kakuzu, a dress laid on her bed, and a cup of coffee on the nightstand. She smiled, sipping the refreshing drink. _'Kuzu-chan…_ She thought with fondness.

Her drained her coffee after a quarter of an hour and afterwards, she slipped into the sleeveless, summer dress the stitched nin had picked out for her, enjoying the soft fabric. The tag on the back was simply labeled 'cream f3, summer' and she rolled her eyes. _Of course, what was I expecting? 'Kuzu-chan is a simple man._ Yuu tied the satin sash around her waist, labeled 'yellow b5', the symbol of Ame proudly displayed in the front. _At least he was able to match my outfit to my eyes like I asked. I guess I need to be grateful for the small things._ The girl slipped on closed-toed, blue flats and left her room, walking through the house to the kitchen.

"Yuu-chan! How cute!" Juzo cooed around a mouthful of pancakes, dodging the ladle that Kakuzu chucked at him. Yuu scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Ew. Finish chewing first!"

Juzo pouted exaggeratedly, but dutifully finished off what was in his mouth before speaking again. "So, you got a date, huh?" He grinned wickedly. "It's the Hyūga kid you were crushing on yesterday, right?"

Her face flamed. "S-Shut up! I was not!" She cursed her stuttering and Juzo, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aw, Yuu-koi, you can tell, Juzo-nii! It's okay~."

"Hmph!" Yuu stuck her nose up in the air and sat down at the table, ignoring his playful jabs. The swordsman laughed, stuffing his cheeks with pancake again and Kakuzu fished a mint from his pocket. She accepted readily, tearing open the plastic and popping it in her mouth as the miser turned off the stove and began cleaning up.

Juzo spoke again after he swallowed his last bite. "Well, I'll be your guard today, so I'll find out." _W-What?!_ The girl was thunderstruck and Juzo laughed again, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Yep! Juzo-nii gets to see it aaallll up close." After a silent moment on Yuu's end, she groaned, dropping her head into her hands as she resigned herself to her fate.

"It's not a crush!" She protested belatedly, the words muffled through her fingers. "He's just…"

Juzo goaded when she trailed off, "He's just…?"

Her tongue struggled for a moment and Yuu was more than sure that she looked the very definition of disgruntled. "…cute." She finished, pouting childishly. Kakuzu joined them at the table with a tall cup of coffee and an amused expression, the large kitchen once again clean.

"You better wash that plate." The stitched nin threatened cooly as he eyed the swordsman. The other only waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry." Orbs that Yuupika knew shined acid green narrowed, then focused on her.

"So, what about that Uchiha boy?"

Yuu pursed her lips, sighing through her nose and juggling the nearly dissolved mint in her mouth. "I don't know…he's pretty, but after the chūnin exams, I just don't know if I can look at him that way. I keep seeing his busted up face in my head."

Kakuzu nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "Understandable."

"Personally, I like the Uchiha boy."

She raised a brow in surprise at Juzo, who was fiddling with his utensils. _Well, that was certainly unexpected._ "…why?"

"The Hyūga boy is too smooth. Like he's had a lot of practice." Juzo frowned, a foreign expression on his face, as he rolled his fork between his thumb and forefinger. "Boys like that are usually players. And if he cheats on you, I'll have to break him like a twig." Kakuzu was frowning as well and nodding in agreement for once.

Yuu hummed thoughtfully as she brought her long, thick braid over her shoulder and began to release it from it's binds. "I guess that's true…" _I've certainly had my fair share of players in my past life._

"The Uchiha boy is just plain awkward." Juzo continued. "But, he's honest. I can tell he hasn't had much social interaction."

"There are still many clan heirs to meet. You have an abundance of options." Kakuzu reminded as the voice of reason. "Perhaps neither of the two here are right for you."

Yuupika sighed as she shook out her now free flowing hair, briefly marveling the pretty waves that cascaded all the way down to her thighs. Suddenly, there was a polite, crisp knock on the door. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

Juzo chuckled as he got up, dusting off his shirt and pants. "Right on the money, Yuu-chan." He picked up his enormous blade, strapping it onto his back in record time as he moseyed over to the entrance. The well oiled hinges made no sound as he opened the door. "Hm. Yuu-chan, the gaki is here!"

Yuu rolled her eyes, sighing and leaning over to kiss Kakuzu's cheek before walking over. To his credit, Neji took the disrespect in stride, bowing lightly. "Juzo Biwa, former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist. It is an honor."

"Well, thanks." Juzo grinned murderously. "I'll be tailing you two today. Hands stay where I can see 'em, or you'll find yourself without 'em, eh gaki?"

"Of course, Biwa-san."

"And I, as well, will be accompanying them." A Hyūga branch member dropped down from the roof just as Yuu elbowed past Juzo. Neji zeroed in on her, blinking twice in rapid succession.

"Hello, Neji-san." She smiled at him, discreetly doing a scan of his outerwear. His slim body adorned a long-sleeved shirt that exposed his collarbone and loose pants that were tied at the shins down to his ninja sandals. His hair was tied in a low ponytail, two pieces out and framing his face. Yuu couldn't help it – her cheeks flushed a little.

The pale-eyed boy smiled back at her charmingly, letting out a small breath from between his lips. "Yuupika-san. You look beautiful." His hand grasped hers lightly and brought it up to his lips to press a kiss on her knuckles.

"Thank you." She tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear and stepped a little closer when he secured her hand on his arm.

"Shall we go?" Yuu nodded and they were off, adopting a leisure pace as they ambled out of the Sarutobi compound, their guards not far behind. Distantly, she could hear Kakuzu roar in fury after realizing Juzo never cleaned his plate.

* * *

Lunch with Neji was a rather pleasant affair and he turned out to have a wicked sense of humor – the boy was a master of satire when he wanted to be, then perfectly polite in the next moment. Yuupika found herself laughing even before she knew that she wanted to, and the easy way they flowed through conversation made her more comfortable around him than she had been before, everything else easing out of her mind. They spent two hours just talking inside of the restaurant he brought her to, a smaller establishment that served heavenly sukiyaki, and getting to know each other. Yuu found out that Neji was actually 10 years old, a year older than her, opposed to him being two years younger, which was quite jarring because it meant that either Kishimoto had botched Neji's age or.. _._

She didn't want to think about it. Not until she had time by herself later tonight.

Neji paid for the both of them, expressing that it was no trouble when she tried to split the bill instead and walked her the long, scenic way home. She enjoyed observing Konoha's natural beauty and told him so, to which he told her of a lilac garden in the Hyūga grounds that was ethereal at sunset. He asked if, two days from now, she would like to accompany him there.

Yuu blushed. "Sure."

He dropped her off shortly after.

"So? How did your date go?" Kakuzu inquired as she walked into the kitchen, the alluring aroma of fresh cookies beckoning her towards the counter.

"It was just lunch." She deflected absently, reaching out to take one. The miser slapped her hand and she yowled, holding the abused appendage to her chest. Kakuzu crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. Yuu was struck in that moment with the realization of just how… _domestic_ the man looked – apron tied tightly around him, one oven mitt still fitted over his hand, chiding expression on his face, fuzzy house slippers covering his feet…

She burst out laughing.

Only to get smacked upside the head.

* * *

Once back in her room, Yuu changed into a plain pair of pants and shirt and wrapped her feet and hands in bindings before slipping out of the window. She rushed through the streets to the park near the ninja academy, skirting around the edges until she came a towering tree that she knew all too well. Familiar spiky hair rustled from the slight breeze of rocking back and forth on a swing, and there the boy who slept in her bed last night was, all alone.

 _Ah. That didn't really sound right._

She shook off those disturbing images before creeping up behind him and pulling him out of sight into a deadlock behind the tree. "Naruto-kun~." She cooed in his ear, her free hand ruffling his hair. He squirmed in her hold in alarm, somehow managing to turn himself all the way around, and immediately beamed upon seeing her face.

"Nee-chan! I thought you weren't coming!" His little arms and legs wrapped around her form, squeezing so hard that some breath left her lungs.

"Whoa, whoa, alright already." Yuu wheezed and he just laughed, then jumped back like a grasshopper.

"Nee-chan! Let's play ninja!" Naruto suggested enthusiastically as she regained her bearings.

"Ninja?" She tapped her finger to her lip, feigning ignorance. "What are the rules?"

" _Yatta!_ " Naruto acted as though she had already agreed… "Well, I'm the hero and you're the princess and I gotta rescue you from the missing ninja!" He stopped short at that, wilting like a flower. "But we need a third person…" Yuu pondered her options for a moment. _Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt if I just…_

She brought up her hands in a tiger seal behind her back and molded her chakra, a solid clone popping into existence on the other side of the tree while the boy in front of her was still preoccupied with his pity party. Quickly, her clone performed a henge, making itself look like a young Tenzō before running around the tree to greet them.

"Hey!" Her clone called and Naruto startled, whipping towards it. "Wanna play ninja?"

A million watts spread across Naruto's face and he grabbed Yuu's hand, an unspoken, hopeful question in his eyes. _He's such a little puppy._

Yuu chuckled and pet his head indulgently. "Okay, okay."

"Yatta!" He pumped his fist in the air. "Let's do it!" In that moment of distraction, her clone gathered her up around the waist and stuck it's tongue out at Naruto tauntingly.

"I've got the princess!" It provoked as it took off, running relatively slow to let the blonde catch up.

To spur him further, Yuu called out, "Naruto-kun, save me!"

The boy burst into action, sprinting after them with a determined gleam in his gaze. "Don't worry, princess!"

The other kids on the playground whipped around towards them and, seeing the new game that had started up, all screamed in delight and came running to participate. Naruto looked absolutely ecstatic as they hustled along side him, throwing wooden kunai and shuriken and laughing. Yuu dragged on the game for as long as she could, her clone making it look like it was just barely keeping ahead of the group until it got hit twenty minutes later with a pincer move (one shuriken in the back on the right side of it's rib cage and one to the chest on the left) and dramatically fell to the ground, groaning in mock pain and pretending to die with it's tongue flopping out the side of it's mouth. To their credit though, the group actually got Shikamaru Nara to play after 10 minutes of failure and then they started to employ some impressive, if not rather basic strategies that solicited her clone's 'inevitable' downfall. Looking mighty pleased with himself, the Nara dropped down in the middle of the sandpit for a nap.

"WE SAVED THE PRINCESS!" One of the kids screamed, jumping up and down.

"Yeah!"

"We did it!"

"Yeah!"

Naruto hollered and whooped along with the others, hugging her like a lifeline. Yuu (disregarding her slight discomfort) let out a few cheers of her own before guiding Naruto away from the group, definitely not waiting for the parents to wander onto the scene and ostracize Naruto. "See you next time!" She yelled over the noise and all the kids waved their enthusiastic goodbyes. The clone scampered away into a side street and dispersed. When Yuupika looked back towards the blonde, she immediately recognized the crestfallen look on his face and squeezed the hand that was held in hers.

"Hey!" She pulled him to the same alley that her clone disappeared in across the street. "Let's go on a shopping spree! My treat!" The first thought in her mind was to offer him ramen, but frankly, one meal wouldn't really do anything to help his poor situation. Instead, she decided to buy him quality items and fix up his apartment. That was the least she could do, since she couldn't actually befriend him openly and be seen spending copious amounts of time with him. That would be _incredibly_ suspicious. It would raise all kinds of red flags and such was a can of worms that Yuu didn't want to open.

He scratched his cheek nervously, scuffing his toes in the dirt. "…."

If it weren't for her advanced hearing, she wouldn't have understood his murmurs. She frowned. Not allowed in any of the stores? Hmph. Well, if that's the case…Yuu pulled her hands up again and shut her eyes tightly in concentration, pulling on natural chakra and her own to craft a subtle, yet incredibly detailed henge around his small form. It took a good minute and she was sweating by the end of it, but when she was finally finished and looked at her creation, Yuu couldn't help but smirk deviously. She wiped her moist forehead with a satisfied sigh. With the help of potent senchakra, the henge would seem frighteningly real – and Konoha would know exactly what Kakashi Hatake looked like under his mask. Just with brown hair. She couldn't be _too_ obvious.

"How do you feel Naruto-kun?" She asked him breathlessly.

The boy-turned-man looked down at his own hands in shock then down at as much of the rest of his body as he could see. "Whoa!" He exclaimed, his voice now richly deep. He startled. "WHOA! What did you do?!"

"A cool technique, my grasshopper. I made you look different so no one would recognize you." The girl grabbed the now-large hand in hers. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!"

They meandered back onto the street, slowly walking through the late afternoon crowds. It was subtle at first – a few double takes as they passed. Staring.

"I thought you said you made me look different…" Naruto intoned uneasily, hand shaky around hers.

"I did – I made you really handsome." The blonde glanced around and seemed to realize the validity in her statement, how none of the villagers were glaring at him, so he straightened and grinned – a few women fainted. They veered off into their first store quickly, a mattress firm. Wind chimes clanged together as they opened the door and a friendly voice welcomed them from the back, telling them to ring the bell on the counter if they needed assistance.

"Okay, _nii-chan_ ," She winked at him conspiratorially and he was puzzled for just a moment before he grinned again and nodded. "Get which ever one you want."

It took Naruto a grand total of thirty seven minutes to test out all the mattresses and decide which one he liked best and the girl snatched up some fluffy pillows and sheets from beside the counter while he was busy. Naruto lugged the whole thing over, taking advantage of his new arm span and then rang the bell three times enthusiastically.

"Let me do the talking," She whispered. "Just stand next to me." He nodded his assent as the clerk came through the door to the back, shining a pair of glasses as he accosted the counter.

"What can I do for you?" He asked before sliding his glasses on – then he promptly gaped at Naruto, who smiled captivatingly.

"My nii-chan is buying me some new stuff!" She unsealed a thick wallet from her necklace, whipping out the appropriate amount of bills for the still-dumbstruck man and slapping them on the counter. His wide orbs darted down to the sum and then he gaped at that – because it wasn't every day that a middle-class store owner would see the 1,000 ryo bills that were only often used in the capital. Yuu stored her wallet again and drew out a storage scroll of Pain's design – it was meant to be able to hold up to 50 items of any dimensions and mass. Quite useful for situations like this. She quickly sealed up the mattress, pillows, and the sheets and slipped her hand into Naruto's again.

"Thanks!"

They left the store and continued on their trek. The staring was more obvious now, and even a few ninja wandering by took notice. Yuu hummed as they flitted from store to store, gaining more and more attention every time they walked the streets. Naruto _thrived_ on it, smiling and waving cheerfully. Yuu thought that maybe he was practicing for when he would become Hokage. It was…mildly amusing.

They were walking back to Naruto's house, this time with a few bags full of groceries in hand, when the henge finally dissipated. Immediately, the boy noticed and became nervous, quieter than he had been the whole afternoon.

And well, really, she knew exactly why when glares started coming their way.

Yuu positioned him just behind her, readjusting her bags so that even if the civilians saw past her waterfall of inky hair to the golden strands behind it, the paper would cover most of his face and hide his identity. It did help a lot, but inevitably, there were still those who made hurtful comments and looked down on him with cold eyes. It was like Yuupika, who was pretty famous if she didn't say so herself, wasn't even there. No one paid her any mind in favor of focusing on the demon. _Selective memory._ Her mind supplied. _Ignorance. Shallowness. Victim mentality._ She observed those around her and was eerily reminded of the aftermath of Chachubi. _This is the wretchedness of people. Do they, too, deserve to be saved?_

Naruto didn't say anything when they finally reached his apartment and Yuu didn't ask. She made him hot chocolate and told him to go clean up in the bathroom when he was done. Yuupika cleaned extensively and got all of Naruto's new things set down, sealing up his old ones with instructions to make sure that his expensive gifts lasted a long time. She made him dinner and organized his fridge while her shadow clone went about fixing his various broken appliances, such as his leaky faucet and wobbly toilet. She outright bought and installed a new water heater after seeing the condition of his old one. No wonder he had never had a hot shower. It took her somewhere close to two hours to get him all settled in and show him how to work his new HVAC unit. It was around 9 pm that she tucked him into his new bed, surrounded by his new bedroom furniture. She placed the remote in his hand that controlled the boxy television she had bought him (Yuu would definitely have to come out with some flat screens in the future) and Naruto turned it on without delay, flipping to some show with excitement. Yuu stared at the TV sitting on the dresser at the foot of his bed and sighed.

"Promise me you won't go to bed too late, okay?" Was this how Konan felt when she tried to get the girl out of her lab on late nights?

"Mmkay, nee-chan." He said absently, hypnotized by the motion picture. She sighed again, fondly this time, and kissed his crown.

"Good night, knucklehead."

She slipped out of his apartment, nodding slightly at Black Zetsu who was waiting just outside. "You know what to do." She said curtly and rushed back to her house in the Sarutobi district, sneaking back in through the window and allowing the shadow clone she had left there to burst. She felt a little woozy at the influx of memories and dropped down straight away onto her bed. Even with nature chakra providing her techniques with half their juice, it still took a lot out of her. Yuu cursed her reserves. She'd have to find a way to use _just_ nature chakra to perform techniques, or at least _mostly_ nature chakra, since she wasn't blessed with amazingly large stores. She took a quick shower after she felt steady enough to stand and slid into bed with one of Obito's shirts swamping her to cover her modesty.

Yuupika was ready to pass out when two round, glowing eyes phased out of the ground. She yawned and propped herself up to face him properly. She hadn't expected him so soon. "Zetsu?" She murmured lowly, staring at the mostly hidden creature. He didn't respond immediately, ejecting the rest of his body out of the floorboards before a hole opened up in his face and moved.

" **Sister.** "

 _That's…really fucking creepy._ Yuu sighed, and answered in kind, "Brother. Is there something you need? We were not supposed to meet like this until next week." She subconsciously theorized that her eyes and his were most likely the same color as she stared into them.

Zetsu stepped closer and knelt down next to the bed. " **We can meet now**." He rasped and the girl resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Always so eager…though, I have no room to complain._

"If you want." Yuu took a few moments to scan around the house, making sure than everyone was preoccupied or asleep before speaking again. "Alright. Throughout the Elemental Nations, there are many dangerous men…"

* * *

Surprisingly, she woke up at dawn the next morning. Yuu yawned and stretched away her weariness. _I wonder if Tou-san is already up?_ She spread her range towards the other side of the house, unsurprisingly seeing him enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Yuupika dragged herself out of bed and left her room, trudging down the bedroom hallway and into the common areas. When she came into the kitchen, Yuu made a bee line towards her father and stationed herself right on his lap, leaning against his chest.

"'Morning," She greeted, nuzzling his collarbone. A few pieces of his disheveled hair tickled her eyebrows. Pain kissed the top of her head, flipping a page in the Konoha News.

"Good morning, Princess. Sleep well?"

"Mmm." Yuu clutched his coffee cup and took a sip of the black, bitter substance inside – then shuddered. "Ugh. How can you drink it like that?"

Pain chuckled, whisking his drink away from her and taking his own few gulps. "It is more refreshing like this."

"I guess," She conceded, shrugging. "Are you busy today?"

"Only until the afternoon. And so are you."

Yuu blinked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"The Uchiha heir is coming to pick you up in about an hour." He told her, glancing at the clock on the microwave. _W-What?!_ "You should get ready."

The girl bolted out of his lap, not deigning him with a response as she rushed back to her room and into the bathroom. She washed herself quickly with champak fragrance, brushed her teeth, spread her scentless lotion, and applied the same makeup look she adorned yesterday. She silently thanked Kakuzu when she rushed out of the steamy bathroom and saw her outfit already laid on the bed for her. Yuu slipped into the deep teal chiffon dress with cream and peach floral patterns, secured the pale yellow sash around her waist and toed on cream flats. She was looking herself over in the mirror and fiddling with her tresses when Sasori knocked on her door.

"He's here, Yuu-chan." He said, perpetually half-mast eyes scanning her form. "You look great."

Yuupika smiled at him. "You think so?"

"Without a doubt. Come, I'll be guarding you today." The kunoichi took one last look at herself before turning away from the mirror and heading over to him. He smiled gently and fixed a large hibiscus flower in her locks before wiping his face into a familiar coldness and escorting her towards the front door. There Itachi waited, blinking slowly when he saw her. Yuu took a great deal of pleasure in seeing the chakra beneath his cheeks that he valiantly suppressed.

"Good morning, Itachi-san." The girl greeted, departing from Sasori's side to slide her hand onto the forearm that the Uchiha raised automatically.

"Good morning, Amehime-sama."

"Yuupika is fine."

"Yuupika-san." He tested with a little nod.

"Shall we go?"

"Hn."

She admired Itachi for ignoring the glare that could make hell freeze over coming from her father, although a few beads of sweat slid down his neck and into his short-sleeved shirt. She didn't comment if he seemed to walk at a slightly quickened pace until safely exiting the Sarutobi compound. Instead, she looked him over with an appraising eye – he wore pants that were bandaged from shin to ankle, similar to Neji's, and ninja sandals that covered the bulk of his foot – unlike Neji, however, he wore a low-hanging necklace with three rings connected by string and his clothes were just a tad tighter what with his muscles being more defined. She would never tell anyone that in that moment, she was really tempted to use her senjutsu to see underneath his clothes. _Bad hormones, bad…_

"So, what's on the agenda today, hm?" She questioned him to distract her mind from it's place in the gutter.

"Have you eaten yet, Yuupika-san?"

"I have not." On cue, her stomach growled and she chuckled, unashamed. "How about we go visit the Sanpāru Bakery?" She remembered seeing it whilst traipsing around with Naruto yesterday.

Itachi glanced over at her oddly. "The Sanpāru Bakery does not sell breakfast items."

"You're probably right." She shrugged, silky hair slipping over her exposed shoulders in a distracting display and the chūnin teen walking past them slammed into a pole. "So, I'll make some for you." Yuu told him and Itachi nodded slowly.

"Oh."

He swerved off the main road to the food district, the two of them subject to many stares and giggling. Yuu leaned over his shoulder, her mouth close to his ear, "We certainly are very popular," She purred. The Uchiha slanted his coal orbs towards her, a spark of panic lighting them up at her proximity. She smiled at him mischievously, tilting her head so the rays of sun caught her face and highlighted her features. A group of boys fainted to their left.

"Yes." He agreed tersely and Yuu sighed indolently, retreating back to her own space. She tapped her fingers on his arm in an upbeat rhythm, humming.

"I'm thinking about whipping up something new. What do you think? Or is there something specific you'd like me to make?"

Itachi shook his head, his locks swaying with the movement and catching a bit of the breeze. Her own tresses billowed theatrically around her, causing a few girls at the dango stand to blush. "I will eat anything of your choosing."

"Ho~?" Yuu smirked. "So if I make steak, you'll eat it?"

The chakra drained from his face, letting her know that he had paled considerably. It was his least favorite food after all. The girl laughed, covering a part of her mouth with the back of her hand. "Just kidding!" He blinked slowly and gave her a light glare, to which she laughed even harder. "Sorry! I was just kidding, Itachi-san~." The corner of his lip quirked upward a bit and from an alleyway beside them, there was a chorus of high-pitched squeals.

"Hn."

Itachi steered her off to the right as they came upon the establishment they were looking for and Yuu smiled at him as he opened the door for her. She walked inside and right up to the counter. "Excuse me?"

A tall, rotund man stepped out from the back, a trail of steam following him. _Probably just took something out of the oven_. "Hi there! Welcome to Sanpāru Bakery. What can I do for you?"

"Hello! My name is Yuupika Uzumaki!" He took in a breath sharply. "Do you mind if I use your equipment for a short while?"

"Yuu-sensei! W-Why, I'd be honored! Of course!" He burst out, his meaty hands gesturing wildly. "Right this way!" He guided her behind the counter and Yuu beckoned Itachi to follow.

"Do you mind if my friend comes as well, sir?"

The man didn't even look at the other occupant of the room. "I don't see why not. You can call me Benjiro, or just Ben!"

Yuupika beamed in gratitude. "Ben-san. Thank you very much." It was a lovely, familiar mess of ingredients and warm steam in the back room, large sheets of Mochi, Anpan, Manjū, and a plethora of other baked goods adorning the cooling racks off to the side. "It smells wonderful in here, Ben-san!"

The man chuckled bashfully, scratching his short beard and sweeping out his arm with a pleased flush. "Ah, well. I've been doin' this for years!"

"I can see." Yuu took initiative and gathered a few measuring utensils and cups off of hooks that were screwed in the only flat wall. "Would you help me, Ben-san, Itachi-san?"

The two males dutifully came to her side and three hours later, after eating their fair share and leaving Benjiro with the recipe, Itachi was trailing after Yuupika with a hand truck full of boxed croissants. The overwhelmingly buttery (with just a touch of cinnamon!) aroma immediately caught the noses of the morning traffic, though Yuu disregarded the longing stares with ease and spread her senjutsu throughout the village. She quickly mapped the shortest path to the Uchiha district and changed her course accordingly – if Itachi knew where she was leading them, he didn't say anything. In fact, he seemed rather…content, despite his current condition...

"Hello~! I'm Yuupika Uzumaki~." The girl sang to the gate guards when they approached. The men stared at her, then at Itachi who was desperately trying to look nonchalant, what with flour in his hair and a heart-patterned apron still secured around his waist (she hadn't given him the opportunity to fix himself up), and finally at the steaming packages of still-warm croissants. She fished two out of the top box. "Would you like some croissants?" She didn't give her first victim the time to answer, instead grabbing his stiff hand and placing the pastry in it. "Enjoy~." The second man held his appendage out before she even started to reach for it and accepted her gift silently. "Enjoy~."

They entered the compound without any complaint from the two.

"Good morning, Uchiha-san!" She called to the first people she saw – an older couple sweeping off their front porch. They looked between her, Itachi, and the boxes and both smirked amusedly. "Would you like some croissants?" She retrieved two, wrapped them in a napkin and stepped closer, thrusting them out in front of her with a light bow. "Please enjoy~!" The older couple accepted her offerings, muttering thanks and well-wishings.

Yuu and Itachi continued on through the compound, knocking on doors and greeting those on the street, handing out croissants to any who would accept them. With skillful use of her sensory range, she was even able to confront those on the training grounds, the younger generation seeming to take sadistic pleasure in Itachi's plight. The Uchiha heir regarded them gracefully, pretending that he didn't have a streak of egg (from Yuu's devious fingers) across his cheek and sugar on the corners of his mouth.

Yuu briefly wondered how nobody saw Sasori lounging about on the rooftops of houses and trees, following them wherever they went – but then again, he wasn't an S-Class nin for nothing. And he probably made use of some genjutsu. He really flourished under Orochimaru's teaching… _and to think, there is still so much he doesn't know! He hasn't even reached his full potential yet…_

They made a full circle before coming to the clan head's house, at which time it was an hour or so after noon. She knocked on the door politely and but a few moment's later, an aristocratically beautiful woman opened it. Mystification shined in her eyes as she looked at the girl, but was wiped away for something warmer and infinitely more humorous when she spotted Itachi.

"Good afternoon! My name is Yuupika Uzumaki. Would you like a croissant?"

"Sure." The woman gave her a small smile as the kunoichi gathered up a pastry from her last box. She accepted it gingerly.

"Enjoy~!" Yuu sang, just as Fugaku rounded the corner in the entrance hall behind Mikoto. The girl immediately spotted him, and waved. "Uchiha-san! Would you like a croissant?" The man strolled over and seemed to have a short, wordless (and just a bit bemused) conversation through eye contact alone with his eldest before nodding curtly. Yuupika plucked another out of her box and presented it with a light bow. "Please enjoy~!"

He took it, saying, "Would you like to come inside, Amehime? I don't believe you've met the rest of my family yet."

"I would love to, Uchiha-san. Please call me Yuupika."

"Fugaku." He responded in kind as Itachi set the hand truck off to the side and picked up the last box. The man's large hand rested lightly on the woman's shoulder. "This is my wife, Mikoto." _I wonder where little Sasuke is?_

Yuu swiped the box away from Itachi and tugged the flower from her hair, placing it on top of the cardboard. She bowed a little deeper this time and offered them both. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mikoto-san."

Mikoto accepted the (just a bit less than) customary gift and bowed back. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well." She was ushered inside the house promptly and given a set of guest slippers that suspiciously fit very nicely on her feet. How these people knew beforehand what her shoe size was, Yuu would never know. But she did feel extremely proud of herself when Fugaku practically inhaled her food, looking displeased with his own behavior but wholly unable to stop himself. Mikoto ate at a more sedated pace as she took the apron from Itachi, discreetly wiped his face, and disappeared into the kitchen to store away the croissants.

Fugaku led them to the back porch which overlooked a large yard, small garden and a koi pond, a wall of hedges separating them from the rest of the world. "It's very peaceful here," Yuu told him after a moment of listening to the natural trill of insect calls and wind whistling through the few trees on the property.

"Hn," The clan head nodded. "This house has been passed down for many generations in the main family. It is a product of meticulous upkeep."

"It's beauty certainly reflects that." Yuu complimented. Mikoto appeared for a moment to set down a tray with tea. "Thank you." The girl quickly inserted and the woman smiled before vanishing again. The three of them sipped on their tea for a few soundless minutes.

"Itachi-san," She addressed the pre-teen beside her and he turned. "Will you be attending the ball in two weeks?"

"Hai. You are performing, correct?"

She nodded, "Correct. I've been practicing my dancing for the occasion. If I'm honest, I'm a little rusty."

The boy straightened a little as Fugaku sent him a meaningful look – Yuu was sure that she wasn't supposed to see it though, since she wasn't facing the man after all. It almost made her frown to think that Itachi wouldn't offer to help her of his own volition. Wasn't he supposed to be courting her? Neji was certainly smoother with these types of things. "I could assist you."

"Wonderful," Yuu purred and stood – Itachi deferred to his father straight away, a twitch in his arm, paling a bit when the man gave a barely noticeably shrug. _Oh yes, my cutie-wootie, socially awkward baby._ The girl performed a quick kage bunshin and her clone henged into Itachi before guiding her to the middle of the field.

"This is a dance style I've been working on," She informed, Mikoto poking her head out curiously to observe. She must have been close by, to have heard those words. On the roof, Sasori leaned forward with interest. "I haven't ironed out all the little details of it yet, so please judge me fairly." Yuu gave them the time it took to nod their heads before taking position. Clone Itachi stood in front of her, his eyes closing, then opening when her hand came to his side and flattened against his muscles, moving slowly up and caressing his chest. The real Itachi blinked, uncomprehending.

She moved out from behind Clone Itachi, stepping gracefully in between his legs and spinning in his arms once before he caught her facing forward, back to his chest. One hand rested on her stomach while the other slowly slid along the underside of one of her outstretched arms. Their faces were angled towards each other, his nose on her cheek and eyes looking down towards her lips. They leaned left together before taking a wide step right, and she twirled again, this time being caught facing the clone and he wrapped his arms halfway around her as she slid her palms down his neck and back. Their lips almost touched. The duo span in a circle twice to some unheard music and then took two long steps left, Yuu spinning until he caught her, her back at his torso. He flipped her around suddenly to face him, falling back into languid movements as he brought her hand up to clasp in his and wrapped an arm around her, pressing her body flush to his. Her free hand clutched his shoulder. And then, they began a passionate tango.

She could tell it was the likes of something their audience had never seen before. It was twists, turns, spins, kicks, dips, sensual hands and heavy breaths, heated eye contact, dangerous proximity and heart pounding emotion, hair whipping like curtains of night, all intertwined with her body and her clone's as they moved about the field. Their audience was mesmerized.

It lasted for the whole of three minutes, ending with Clone Itachi bringing her abruptly up from a dip, their lips nearly touching again as they breathed in each other's air. They stayed like that for a suspended moment, and then they parted and Yuu dispelled her clone as she bowed. "Well?" She inquired breathlessly. "What do you think?"

Itachi was frozen and red in the face (if the heavy concentration of chakra was anything to go by), a small, uncharacteristic trail of blood coming from his nose. Fugaku was equally as flustered, though he just seemed to be more scandalized than anything. Sasori was holding his face in his hands. Yuu wasn't entirely sure what that meant. It was Mikoto who talked first and stepped forward onto the grass. "A beautiful sequence, Yuupika-san. However, your left foot often seems to over reach about an inch more than your partner's. Do you favor that foot in taijutsu?"

Yuu considered this for a moment. "I do, actually. I always put my left foot forward."

The males snapped to attention, Itachi blurting awkwardly, "I noticed that as well," as Fugaku turned away, staring into his tea uncomfortably.

Mikoto beckoned Itachi over and the pre-teen dutifully came, letting the older woman direct him in place in front of Yuupika. "You were watching with your sharingan, right Itachi-kun?" The boy blushed even harder, but nodded.

"Then, let's take it from the top. Begin!"

* * *

"And what do you call this again?"

"A Democratic Republic. Quite simple, really."

Kakuzu glanced from the notebook full of scribbles, to her, and back. "It is…an interesting concept. But is it really how you want to run a country?"

Yuupika rolled her pen between her fingers. "Yes."

"It is unprecedented," Pain said. "But I don't believe it is a necessarily _bad_ idea. It is your country after all."

"Unfortunately." The miser sighed in half irritation and half exasperation.

"Hey~!" Yuu pouted. "It was a good investment, I promise! You just wait and see!"

Sasori chuckled in the seat opposite of hers. "We surely will, Yuu-chan." He hadn't spoken a word of what happened at the Uchiha compound earlier. Yuu briefly entertained the idea that he had repressed the memory – she was quite flustered as well when she first witnessed the intricacies of tango and this world's culture was _much_ more conservative than her old one's. And on top of that, she was only nine. Her showing was probably traumatic on some level. "Now, what about a means for defense? How will you guard your borders and capital city?"

The girl pursed her lips in thought. "Well, firstly, it's not a country with a hidden village since the dissolution of Kusagakure a year ago, so my borders don't necessarily need protection. But for my capital city? Mmm, I _was_ considering using samurai, but I don't know – shinobi often slip really easily into cities guarded by samurai and can easily fend them off if discovered. Plus, Kusa is right between Earth country and Fire country and the whole city could be razed to the ground if the two decide to go to war again. I need shinobi to guard my city." She paused. "But the again, Ame can't spare any shinobi to do that right now since our military is still so small, so that means I'd need to _hire_ protection from a bigger village, with more forces to spare just to get by." Yuupika groaned, rubbing her face with a hand. "And that means I'd need to make an _alliance_."

"Not necessarily," Pain interjected her monologuing. "You could come to a trade agreement instead."

"You mean like trading humans?" Yuupika gaped in horror. _I thought slavery didn't exist in the Narutoverse!_ "Tou-san, what the hell?!"

"No, not like that, Princess," The Kage deadpanned. "Let's say you entered into a trade agreement with Konoha. In exchange for a number of shinobi, who would be paid a fixed amount bi-weekly for their service, you would give Konoha a sum of goods and currency. Many smaller countries have these kinds of trade agreements with larger ones. It is very common."

"It can also be used as a means of expanding borders." Kakuzu said suddenly, drawing her attention. "For example, the land of Earth is often drawn including the land of Mountains, which allows shinobi of Iwagakure to operate inside of their borders freely in exchange for protection of their capital."

"Oh…" Yuu had wanted to build her capital city into something like Ba Sing Se from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She had drawn up so many plans to make use of it's centralized location and make it the main hub of trade and business in the world – the likes of which would mean a worldwide economic collapse if anything happened to it. It was a big part of her plan to revolutionize the nations, to move them out of their backwards shinobi lifestyle and into one focused on scientific and artistic progression and discovery.

(and maybe, that was a little bit selfish of her.)

But, Yuu wanted to realize her dreams no matter what. It would just be a serious wrench in her plans if building up this city meant essentially handing Konoha another province. That would put them right on Earth country's border and at that point, a war would just be begging to happen again. And then, they would never get anywhere. She would have to commence Plan B:

Total World Domination (through money, deception, and death).

 _You know what, I'm…already kind of doing that._

"It doesn't have to be that way, though, Yuu-chan." Sasori patted her hand with a soft smile at seeing her defeated expression. "That is only one example out of many. Kusa is a land rich with farms and vineyards. You could easily provide increased crop and luxury item export to your trade partner, with just the proper amount of money to pay the shinobi they provide."

"Yes, that's part of the reason why it is so expensive…" Kakuzu grumbled, eyeing the ledger he carried around at all times with distaste, then Yuupika with a small glare. An immense weight lifted off her shoulders even in the face of her miser's ire at hearing that tidbit of information. _Oh thank Kami I don't have to resort to Plan B…_

"Now, now, it's already done." Pain chided, ever the peace-keeper as he scribbled a word in the newspaper crossword puzzle. His hobby never ceased to amuse her.

"Yeah..." She sighed. "In any case, the daimyo isn't going to be happy when he finds out he's being robbed and dethroned."

And they all grimaced a little bit at that.


	19. Bonus 2: Hokage's Interlude

A/N: Yo!

This bonus isn't very long and I couldn't really find anywhere to put it in the last chapter. Sorry! It's just a little something that I wanted to add in as thanks to you all! I've finally reached 300+ favs and 100+ reviews! Yay!

You guys are amazing and your words inspire me to keep writing every day. Thanks again. :) Love ya!

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, so I _demand_ reparations! Kishimoto!

* * *

(to) Floor:

to baffle or confound someone completely

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a man of many words. He was very sociable, yes, but only a small portion of his thoughts ever made it past his lips. A very small portion. That wasn't to say that he ever ran out of things to say, because Hiruzen was certainly not that type of man. He always had a great many opinions and a great many thoughts and a great many things to say – yet he didn't actually speak most any of it. Once again, he only ever expressed a very small portion.

So, imagine his surprise when he made his monthly visit to his grandson-in-all-but-name's apartment and found he had absolutely _no_ words. Not in his mouth and certainly not in his head. Although he only blinked once – twice – on the outside, as any battle-tested shinobi worth his salt knew not to express emotions on the field, internally, Hiruzen was thunderstruck. Had he walked into someone else's apartment on accident? A quick glance to the luxurious black leather couch showed a bright blond-haired boy avidly watching a show on the newest model of TV. No, that was Naruto Uzumaki. Sharp brown eyes scanned the main room again. There were simply no words to describe what he was seeing. He processed it all, yes, he registered that the furniture, decorations and fixtures were all of the highest quality and tastefully coordinated, but Hiruzen Sarutobi _could not_ _comprehend_ where in the world ( _and just exactly_ _ **how**_ _)_ Naruto got a hold of such things. _How_ was this Naruto's apartment? _Where_ did all his old things go? Suddenly, Hiruzen had a _million_ things to say.

In real time, two seconds had passed and the sound of the door closing on it's own behind the man alerted Naruto to his presence. And very interesting how that door used to squeak and now it did not.

"JIJI!" The boy shouted enthusiastically, bolting off the couch and rushing over. He wrapped his small arms around the man's legs and grinned up at him devilishly. Oh yes, Hiruzen was sure that Naruto knew something that he didn't. "Ya like all my new stuff? Isn't it so cool?!"

The old man chuckled and patted the jinchūriki on the head indulgently. "Yes, it is all very cool, Naruto-kun. I was just wondering, though, where did you get it?"

The boy's smile stretched even more – it honestly looked like it hurt. "My nee-chan bought it for me! She's super rich!"

"And pray tell, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen lowered to a knee, one hand firmly on Naruto's shoulder and applying just the slightest pressure. "Just _who_ is your nee-chan?"

"Oh, well, she's…! She's…she's…I…" His sunny expression drooped into confusion. "I…can't remember…"

His eyes narrowed a sliver. _Genjutsu? I'll have to take him to a specialist to see if someone tampered with his mind. It could be very dangerous for Naruto as an individual and as a jinchūriki to be mentally compromised._ "Well, if you do happen to remember, I'd love to meet her." _None of the party from Ame are known genjutsu practitioners, though the Amekage's abilities are relatively unknown. However, from the intelligence Jiraiya-kun provided, the Amekage, Yahiko, had abysmal chakra control when he was younger and relied heavily on ninjutsu and brute strength. Therefore, it's possible, but highly unlikely that he became a genjutsu specialist. Also, he has been occupied solely with meetings for the past few days and none of his ANBU tails have reported any movement outside of the Sarutobi compound or even his temporary residence apart from attending such meetings. Unless he somehow managed to fool Team Ke and henge into a woman solely for the purpose of…of what? What would be his motive, for what purpose would he treat the junchūriki to such luxury, assuming he even knows who the jinchūriki is? And if not him, then is there an enemy shinobi lurking in the village? And again, how would he know and what would be his motive, why treat the jinchūriki to all this and then erase the jinchūriki's memory of such incident?_

Three seconds had passed and Hiruzen was brought out of his thoughts by how Naruto's cherub face suddenly scrunched up in disgust, like he had tasted a particularly bitter lemon. "No way, Jiji! My nee-chan is _way_ too young for you! And you're _way_ too ugly!"

And for the second time that day, Hiruzen Sarutobi was floored.


	20. Embers

A/N: Yo.

Sorry for not updating. I'm feelin' blue :( Here's a little snippet of my sad poetry.

Don't forget to vote on Yuu's hubby-to-be and thank you for your wonderful reviews. They lift me up, as always.

Disclaimers: ...(what if I'm secretly Kishimoto, though?)

* * *

 _could we ever be more than the memory of our regrets?_

 _withered love in the cold_

 _what is the extent of us?_

 _these beautiful hands of tarnished gold_

 _feel like heaven and hell and the desolation of my soul_

 _and your eyes are like the moonless black skies_

 _and oceans so deep, they're drowning me whole_

 _I'm losing control_

 _but I couldn't look away if it was the death of me_

 _..._

 _sometimes love is a little more like hate than we want it to be_

 _bends in time and the evanescent warmth of fall_

 _pity in your smile_

 _if it was ever there at all_

* * *

The day started leisurely. Yuupika took a grand total of thirty minutes to pull herself out of bed and get to the bathroom. She decided to take a nice, unhurried bath with Jasmine petals floating in the water and soaking in her hair as she wrote her mother for the first time. She told her of her trip to Konoha, the house they were staying in, the scenery, food, people, and lastly –

Her suitors.

Yuu wrote up bonafide profiles on Neji and Itachi and included them behind her letter, detailing every little interaction she had with the two.

And maybe that was a little overboard, but Yuu didn't care. She asked Konan to answer back as soon as she had the time. And oh, the girl would be waiting.

When she was finished with that, she sent a chakra pulse through the ground to Zetsu, who was on the other side of the house in the kitchen and asked him to get the message to Konan as quickly as possible. Black Zetsu called a clone Shiro Zetsu and sent him on his way as she dried herself off.

Sighing, Yuupika spread on her scentless lotion and began braiding her hair. _How should I spend the rest of my day? I don't meet with Neji until evening._ Yuupika's fingers worked tirelessly along the length of her tresses. _I've already done all I can for Naruto. Maybe there's some kind of entertainment in town? I did hear about a new 'Prince Kirin' movie coming out._ Yuu thought about that for a while. It was only when she tied off her braid and was taking out her makeup that she decided what to do. She applied mascara and chapstick, then, with a lovely hum, Yuu traipsed over to her closet and plucked out a yellow dress with burnt red sunflowers and warm brown flats. She pulled it on easily, smoothing out any wrinkles and admiring Ame's symbol embroidered on the petals before leaving her room to head towards the kitchen. Yuu smiled at the sight of Sasori and Kakuzu palming rice balls into shape at the island, talking amicably about one thing or another as Juzo was shitting bricks trying to decipher a crossword puzzle with a highly amused looking Pain.

"Good morning," She greeted from the doorway. She wished she had a camera.

Everyone looked up but Juzo was first to comment. "Yuu-koi~! You're so cute!"

"You say that everyday," She lifted an eyebrow mockingly, even though she did silently appreciate the ego-stroking. "I'm starting to doubt your sincerity."

"Or maybe you're just cute," He chimed with a murderous grin. Pain gave him long, sideways glance, something flashing in his Rinnegan orbs. _Oh god, Tou-san, not this again…_

"What are you planning today, Yuu-chan?" Sasori asked as he set cut shrimp inside of another few rice balls. Kakuzu gave her an impatient look as he sprinkled sesame seeds onto his batch.

"I'm visiting the orphanage." She said as she padded closer, pausing only to give Pain and Juzo quick kisses on the cheek. She narrowly dodged the swordsman's mischievous fingers when they darted out to tickle her. "Too slow~!" She teased, poking out her tongue.

"Children." Kakuzu warned, waving a kitchen knife menacingly and simultaneously stopping Juzo from retaliating.

"Why the orphanage, Princess?" Pain questioned, finally looking away from the oblivious former mist nin.

"Just figured I'd take them to the movies and hang out for a bit." She responded as she swiped a few finished onigiri and moved to sit down on the man's lap. He adjusted accordingly for her.

"Hmm. What do you think of number seven, across?" Pain pointed at the aforementioned riddle on the paper. Yuu pursed her lips in consideration. ' _I have two arms, but fingers none. I have two feet, but cannot run. I carry well, but I have found I carry best with my feet off the ground. What am I?'_ Her eyes scanned the puzzle, counting the amount of boxes for the word.

"The answer is a wheelbarrow." She said after a quiet moment of chewing on her food. Pain blinked, seeming to think that over for a moment before smiling and planting his lips on her crown in thanks.

"Whaaat?!" Juzo ran through his wild hair confusedly. "How does that even make sense? I thought it was a crippled guy!"

Yuu just stared at him, a little bewildered. "…I'm not even going to pretend that I understand you." She told him and he scowled, though it was more like a pout.

"It's alright, Juzo-kun." Sasori consoled him with a calm voice and a warm smile. The swordsman just huffed, though he visibly brightened and Sasori's eyes were fond on his friend for another few seconds before he turned to the fridge. The puppeteer retrieved two bento and set them on the far side of the counter nearest to Yuu. "I made you two bento for today," He informed them a little shyly and Yuupika's heart did a little jump in her chest. _No, hormones, no!_ _20 years old! 20!_

"Juzo's coming with me again today?" Yuu asked, hands drifting up to quickly let loose her hair and derail her train of thought.

"Yep." The aforesaid man chirped, suddenly upbeat again. "I get to spend more time with you and the kiddies." Pain did that sharp glance again and Yuu was starting to dread the confrontation that was sure to come of her father's overprotectiveness.

With a sigh, she hopped off of his lap and scarfed down her last onigiri as she grabbed the bentos. "Thanks, Sasori-nii."

She skirted around the island to give him and Kakuzu kisses, nuzzling her miser more affectionately, before gesturing to Juzo, "Let's go!" She sealed the food into her necklace and the swordsman secured his blade onto his back and then they both left with shouts of, 'ittekimasu!'.

Yuu automatically reached for his hand and he, just as instinctively, grasped hers lightly. _Weird,_ she thought, _that even though I am mentally approaching forty, I am still inclined to do something so childish as this – and yet again, I do many things that are childish nowadays._ She chuckled a little to herself as Juzo went on about one thing or another. _I am enjoying my youth all over again. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that._

"Mhmm," She nodded as he began another rant about the yakitori he had yesterday which was not quite fully cooked. People on the streets, seeing his razor teeth, equally sharp sword, and rather flustered state, stepped aside to let them through.

"And the guy had the nerve to tell me that he wouldn't give me a refund! Can you believe it, Yuu-chan?! I was two seconds from slicin' that guy in half! The meat was pink, I'm tellin' ya!"

"Unforgivable," She commented lightly, her senjutsu showing her the two ANBU (probably sporting camouflage jutsu) following them along the rooftops, whose shoulders were shaking a little in laughter.

"Honestly!" He threw his free hand up in the air, causing a few civilians to flinch back. "If yer gonna serve yakitori, ya gotta serve it right! Cooked all the way through! To the center and back! Brown! Crispy!"

"I understand completely."

"Yeah," He huffed out, his anger seemingly abated. "You're such a good listener, Yuu-koi." Juzo said with a smile and the women whispering by the glassblower's stand paled.

"I know," She smirked, flicking her wavy hair over her shoulder and letting the slight breeze catch it. Curious how it was January and yet it was still warm in the Land of Fire. By all means, it was supposed to be winter, but there was no snow. The citizens of Konoha were still wearing summer and fall outfits, as if the months has never changed. She supposed the Land of Fire was a little like Puerto Rico in that sense.

Yuu shook off the sudden longing that grabbed hold of her, clutching Juzo's hand tighter. He glanced down at her in the middle of asking directions from a stall owner, but didn't falter in his speech, which the girl was grateful for. It was a momentary lapse – she had those all the time.

No need to worry.

They resumed their walk towards the orphanage shortly after and they were almost there when –

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Yuu startled a bit at the sudden vibrations and palmed the satellite pager in the small pocket of her dress, drawing it out quickly.

 _'_ _From: Oji-maru :D_

 _Yuupika, do you perhaps remember where our notes on the solis study are?'_

Yuu blinked. "Oh, um…"

 _'_ _To: Oji-maru :D_

 _I actually have them with me right now. Sorry :('_

Not ten seconds later, her pager buzzed again.

 _'_ _From: Oji-maru :D_

 _I see. Do you have utmost need of them? If not, a Zetsu courier would suffice to deliver them to me.'_

The girl puffed out her cheeks, a little annoyed. _So pretentious!_ Reluctant affection and inquisitiveness eased her ill-will, though.

 _'_ _To: Oji-maru :D_

 _Sure. What do you need them for?'_

"Who ya texting, Yuu-chan?" Juzo peered down at her pager, getting a glimpse at her message thread before she turned off the screen. His face scrunched. "That grouch? Don't you have two boyfriends to occupy your time, now? You're always working!"

Yuu furrowed her brows. "Am not! We're just talking. And they aren't my boyfriends!"

The swordsman smirked. "Heh, says you. But I'm no idiot."

"Are you sure?"

"Oi! I am a renowned-"

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

 _'_ _From: Oji-maru :D_

 _Excellent. I was intrigued by the results of our initial attempts to create the solis. Although deemed failures, I do believe there is more to them that can be studied.'_

 _Uh-oh._ Yuupika frowned. _He wants to study wormholes? That could be dangerous..._

"-success rate was more than – Yuu-chan, are you listening to me?!"

"Hm?" She looked up at the man, who cried out in frustration and threw his hands in the air. "Stop being so dramatic," She drawled with a wave of her hand. Her attentions shifted to the building in front of them. "We're here anyway." The girl's fingers typed out one last message before she shoved her device back into her pocket.

 _'_ _To: Oji-maru :D_

 _I agree. Keep me updated, please!'_

Yuu grabbed Juzo's hand again and knocked thrice on the door. "Now, be nice." She whispered. "And no cursing!" He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Hello?" The door opened to a short-haired woman with the most exaggerated hook nose she had ever seen, her eyes flickering confusedly between the two. It was the hardest thing not to just _stare_ – because honestly, what was she, the wicked witch of the west? "May I help you…?"

"Hi! My name is-"

"Holy fuck!" Juzo burst out laughing and the woman's face morphed into offended fury.

Yuu sighed.

* * *

"Did you see it, nee-chan! He was 'paa!' and 'BOOM!' and 'wham wham!' and then the evil lord was like 'uggghhhhhh!' and the princess was totally drooling!" The little boy exclaimed, making exaggerated motions with his arms. The other kids around him were adding input frequently, all of them pulling on her dress with grabby hands to try and gain her attention. Yuu laughed, glancing back at the way a good portion of kids were hanging off of Juzo's every limb – then laughed harder. He was really just as excited as the little ones, fervently conversing with them, not seeming to mind how incredibly hard it must have been to walk. His hands were constantly in motion to support those who were having trouble hanging on, though he didn't look strained. He moved as deftly as when he was wielding his sword. For all he looked like the murderer he was, he also looked incredibly gentle in that moment, such familiarity in his movements that Yuu was half convinced he had been doing this all his life.

"I saw it, Kuri-kun." She told the little boy, petting his head. He beamed, crooked teeth sporting a few remnants of popcorn and chocolate. It was still wonderful though, that she had made him so happy. The little girl on her back giggled, chewing Yuu's long hair and the kunoichi instinctively patted her, making the toddler giggle again.

"What do we do now, nee-chan?" An older girl on her other side asked, twirling her short locks on her fingers.

"Hmm…" Yuu tapped her chin in consideration. "Well, we saw the movie and we had ice cream…why don't we go play, now?" Cries of glee answered her and tiny hands steered her towards the outskirts of Konoha, where grass fields and groves reined over the landscape. They sat in the shade of wisteria trees.

"Nee-chan, what do you wanna play?" A little boy asked – Furamu-kun.

"We could play Zodiac Picnic?" She suggested. It was a simple child's game designed to start teaching the hand seals shinobi used in jutsu at a young age. Quite useful too, as even if being a ninjutsu specialist turned out not to be an option, it promoted a dexterity that was essential for weapon wielding. It also significantly reduced the chance of training cramps.

"But that game is so hard!" A child to her left whined and a few others joined in with him. She sighed, still smiling. Of course, that was always the problem. Kids never wanted to play it too often, since, at a young age when pudgy hands weren't used to the strain, it was taxing.

"Okay, okay. What do _you_ guys wanna play?" Yuu hummed a tune from a time long ago as the little ones considered and argued amongst themselves, consulting Juzo as a voice of all-knowing reason (which was horrible, because he suggested they did a little training and she glared at him) – and then the tiny girl, not so much older than the toddler sleeping in her lap, tugged on her skirt.

"Nee-san, it's so pretty!" She stared up at her with starry eyes.

Confused, Yuu cocked her head. "What is, Hima-chan?"

"The song! Will you sing it to me?"

All the others turned then, with equally shiny eyes and Yuu knew she was doomed.

"Yeah, nee-chan, sing to us!"

"Sing!"

"Sing us a fairy tail song!"

"A song! Sing a song!"

The kunoichi wilted under the pressure, unable to deny the puppy gazes that they were giving her, and held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay…I'll sing you a fairy tail song…" They cheered and Yuu pursed her lips in thought. _Fairy tail song…I know a lot of fairy tails, but…ugh, which one? Something appropriate, Yuupika. Something fun… Ah! Pocahontas! Perfect. I think._ "Okay!" She exclaimed, wiggling a little to find a more comfortable position on the wide trunk. She propped the two year old in her lap up a little more. "Gather 'round."

The children were beaming as they herded closer, quite a few still hanging off of Juzo and climbing all over him – three in his lap, two leaning on his arms, one on each shoulder – he stared at her with amused, warm eyes, subconsciously balancing the boy trying to gain a perch on his head.

Yuu sang for them the songs she knew until they tired of her voice, and then she cast her chakra into the air, pulling water nature out of her fingers and letting it glide around like a breeze to keep them occupied. The children jumped around trying to catch the numerous tendrils, squealing and laughing as only children could when the chakra dispersed and they were wet with a drizzle. The toddler in her lap yawned awake and grinned gleefully at her, to which she responded by pinching her cheeks gently. _So cute…_

 _Maybe…I should check up on Yuri…her child should be around this age, right?_

 _I wonder how everyone in Chachubi is doing…_

 _Has Akihiko grown strong…?_

"Yuu-koi," Juzo's voice brought her back to her senses and she looked up at him as he moved to sit down closer to her. His heat was welcome in the chilly breeze. _It's nearly evening._ She'd have to leave this place soon. "This is great." He smiled, closed-mouth and sincere.

Yuupika reciprocated as the leaves in the trees shook with the forceful air. "Thanks, Juzo-nii."

They sat for a while in silence, watching the kids play.

"I had a family once." Juzo spoke quietly, but still with a smile. He didn't shift his gaze from the children before them, watching with something bittersweet in his features. "A wife and a kid. Looked just like twins, but the girl had my hair. Precious, both of them. They were my world." He breathed deeply. "She'd be about sixteen now, and I'd have to chop off the balls of whoever she brought home." Yuu chuckled a little and the man turned to her with a melancholic smile. He ruffled her hair slightly. "My little girl."

He stood abruptly, sweeping the tiny child out of her arms and walking back over to the children. "Alright, gakis! Time to head back!"

Yuu sat there staring blankly as the little ones whined and pouted. They attempted puppy eyes on the man, but he was having none of it, plucking the tiny buggers off the ground with giant appendages.

 _Juzo…I'm so sorry..._

 _I really don't want you to die..._

* * *

"Yuupika-san, can you see the sunset?"

She looked over at the boy standing beside her as he sifted through panicles of lilacs and pondered her response for a moment. "In a way," Yuu said after a few moments, smiling. "I can see the shades of sunbeams on my surroundings and the shadows they cast about, but…I cannot see colors. Thus, I can see the effects of a sunset, but when looking into the sky, all I perceive is darkness."

Neji turned to her, a few blossoms in hand that he reached out and expertly placed in her hair. He smiled, his fingertips ghosting over her arm and down to her hand, which he clasped lightly. Yuu felt the blush before it even came to rest on her cheeks. "Shall I describe it to you?"

"I…would like that."

Neji led her to the porch at the entrance to the gardens, where tea was already prepared and still steaming. _Peppermint_ , she realized, as the aroma wafted to her nose. The Hyūga certainly did their research... The pair sat down, Neji handing her a cup before picking up his own. His hand never faltered in it's tender grasp around hers. The boy hummed for a moment, vibrations dancing across her skin, before beginning.

"The sun is yellow now – yellow, which is the brightest of colors, shining like a smile, energetic like a child, intent, easily recognizable amongst any darker shades beside it. Yellow is shining down on the blossoms, which are a gentle purple. The color purple, regularly, is deep and rich, cooler than yellow and less excitable. It's often worn by royalty, in part because of its rarity and in part because of its depth. The color of lilacs is softer and lighter, but still hinting at deep tones, much like the sky. Now the sky is blue, a pale and also soft color most times, relaxing to look at. Other times, it's deep and flowing, much like the ocean. If you can imagine something that completely envelopes you in calm, that is blue. Soon, the sky will change from this soft blue to shades of orange and red. Orange is inordinately bright, not like yellow, but still very recognizable in the sense that it's unlike any other color. It's sometimes obnoxious – it's what you would see in an explosion, a sudden, blaring burst of vivid luster that is blinding. Red, however, is charged. It is the color of passion and rage, what you would imagine an unstoppable force of will would leave in it's wake, the afterimage of burning intensity. Its beautiful, easily my favorite color, as indomitable as it is. The orange, yellow, and red will all mix together like the ink trails following a sloppy brush, creating a palette of wonder and eye-capturing fire in the sky. It will stay like this for a while until lush purples will start to seep in and deepen the brightness of the sunset as the sun itself begins to disappear beyond the horizon. Everything will darken opulently until all other colors fade away and bleed into shades of purple and blue so deep that they look black – and then those colors will eventually become one with the dark night sky, which is littered with stars of every color you could ever imagine, often flick- Hime? What's wrong?"

Yuu hadn't meant for him to see her crying. She hadn't meant to cry in the first place, but his words brought back…many memories. Beyond that, his warm voice, the effort put into his descriptions sparked a grand well of gratitude in her. She could almost see it again, could almost picture the horizon over the trees reaching out for her attention. No one had ever tried to do this for her, no one had ever given it much thought. Not even she had given it much thought until suddenly, her heart was aching and her throat felt like it was filled with cotton balls. The girl grabbed his hand from it's resting position on her face, stopping the thumb that was brushing her tears away. Gingerly, she kissed Neji's palm and then held tighter.

"Thank you."

Neji blinked a few times, and then the confusion (and mild panic) drained from his expression and he smiled genuinely at her, his unoccupied arm coming up and puling her easily into his side. Yuu readily rested her head on his offered shoulder as he twined their fingers. Maybe it was because she had been feeling especially homesick lately, missing a world that she could no longer reach and a set of eyes that showed her the beauty she couldn't see – but she didn't stop him. If only just for now, she'd allow the prolonged contact that usually made her uncomfortable.

Yuu was relaxed in his arms and nearly asleep when a branch family member came around some time later to inform them that dinner was ready. Neji nodded in acknowledgement and looked back to her, gently cradling her face in his hands. He rubbed away any lingering trace of tears before smiling charmingly and helping her to her feet.

"Ready?" He asked and she nodded. Their moment ended when he secured her hand on his arm in a respectful manner and proceeded to lead her towards the center of the compound.

* * *

A pulse of chakra while taking her nightly bath after Neji walked her home and he was beside her.

"Zetsu."

" **Sister**."

Yuu fingered the snow blossoms floating around in the water. "What of the former Kusa Daimyo?"

" **He is en route to Amegakure, as planned**." His gravelly voice gave her shivers she would never show. Yuu glanced over at him, kneeling beside the tub, just a black mass of tainted nature chakra. Her own chakra was tightly bunched within her, ready to strike out at any moment. _Is there any way to kill him barring sealing? I don't want to have to learn the art, it would take many, many years that I do not have. And by the way things are going, Naruto and Sasuke might never get their six path powers. So what can I do?_

"Make sure he never reaches it, please – by way of his 'failing health'." Zetsu nodded. "Has the Wave builder made it safely into my borders?"

" **Yes**."

Yuu hummed in acknowledgement, pausing to contemplate her next words. Steam rose from her bath in lazy wisps. "…we must keep track of Orochimaru's research, brother. He is studying interdimensional travel – you understand what that could mean for us in the long run, yes?"

The creature's lipless mouth pulled down in a soundless snarl. " **He is a danger to mother**."

"Not yet," She hastily said – she knew that the creature would go to amazing lengths to eliminate any significant threats and even though he was a monster, Yuu didn't want Orochimaru to die. "He hasn't made any discoveries yet. Just keep me updated on his progress, please." Zetsu looked displeased, but didn't argue with her. _Thank Kami._ "Now, how is the situation in Suna? I trust our spies all been successfully placed? How long until we can further our agenda there?"

" **Three months**."

Yuupika nodded, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. _Soon. Soon._

 _I'm coming for you._

* * *

The next day, Yuu slipped into a plain lilac dress and kidnapped her father before he could leave for the morning. He didn't object, didn't even question her when she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from his cup of coffee and out the door. He didn't speak as she guided him out of the Sarutobi compound and onto the streets of Konoha, walking briskly to avoid the morning traffic. His mouth stayed closed all up until they were seated in Sanpāru bakery, which Benjiro had graciously let them enter although it didn't open for another hour.

"You know, Yuu-chan, I _do_ have important matters to attend to today and officials that are expecting my presence in their offices."

"Che. I'm more important!" The girl huffed, crossing her arms with finality.

Pain smiled amusedly, his Rinnegan orbs softening. "Of course, princess. What do you have in mind for today?"

Yuu loosened, humming in consideration. "I don't know…I didn't think I'd get this far. Why are you always so busy, anyway?"

"Politics, Yuu." He answered simply as Benjiro served them tea.

"Thanks, Ben-san," She quickly said, then addressed her father again. "But this is a vacation, you know. You need to take it easy."

"My own daughter lecturing me? Hmm…"

"I'm serious, Papa!" She pouted. "You need to relax more. Kaa-san is taking care of everything back in Ame, so what else is there for you to worry about?"

He raised a brow, his chakra flickering amusedly. "Shall I list?"

"No!" She refuted. "That was rhetorical. Just forget about everything else for now, okay? And don't think about anything until I say."

"Of course."

"Okay…so…this place makes really good croissants. We could have breakfast here in a little while?" As she spoke, the scent of cinnamon, sweet sugar, and butter floated into the main part of the shop from the back room.

"It sounds like plan."

Yuupika smiled. "Yeah. Anyways, I've got something I want you to take a look at." The girl pulled her cherished necklace out of her dress, quickly checking her surroundings before brushing it with a bit of chakra to bring out her idea book. She deftly flipped to a page near the back, then turned it around and slid it over to the man across from her. His eyes immediately met the schematics to assess them. "What do you think of this?"

Pain thoughtfully stroked his chin as he reviewed her work, orbs flitting all over the page rapidly. "It is…quite a concept. Have you been studying birds? This is quite in depth."

"Not exactly, Tou-san. This is just a basic model that I've come up with, for one or two people. More commercial models that I'm thinking of would be capable of holding up to a few hundred people. It would certainly solve that one problem we've been discussing."

"Somewhat," Pain admitted. "However, it is not very discreet." His Rinnegan slanted up to meet her golden irises, inquisitive.

Yuupika scratched her head, the ' _shink'_ of her heavy locks and the low, off-tune singing of Benjiro as he baked echoing in her ears. "That's true, I guess. But I mean, to actually get to the place we want to go, this is fine, right? It's just going back that is the problem."

"And a large one at that." Her father sighed a little wearily, something she immediately decided that she didn't like hearing. The girl racked her brain for another solution.

"Well…perhaps this can be solved with sealing? You do have access to a wealth of knowledge through not only Oji-maru, but also…"

She trailed off when his normally rather stoic expression began to twist, knowing what she would say before she even formed the words. Yuu bit the inside of her lip. _We are at an impasse, it seems. He does not want to associate with his former sensei, and thus, he probably never reached a solution in canon. But, if we're going to do this…_

Papa," She began, softly. "Please just try. You know he wouldn't turn you away…"

"He _betrayed_ us, Yuupika." He sounded like Nagato now, quietly spitting out words with emotion that made strange inflections on his voice. " _Konoha_ did as well. They ravaged our lands with war and then tried to destroy what was left. It is because of _Konoha_ that Ya-," He stopped abruptly to compose himself. Yuupika took a deep, silent breath as well, releasing tension she didn't know that had built up so quickly within her. _He was about to reveal to me the truth. He was about to tell me of Yahiko_. "We're only here for you. Because you are bringing peace and prosperity to our lands and your mother and I believe in what you are trying to accomplish." _If only you knew…_

Still, it touched her to hear him say that and Yuu reached for his hands across the table, her small appendages not yet big enough wrap around his. She doubted they ever would be. She doubted she would grow tall and willowy like her beautiful mother – but that was okay. "Thank you." Yuu told him sincerely. "Please understand, Tou-san, that I would never ask you to do this otherwise. It's because I want to make a change that would benefit millions of people that I am. If, with fuinjutsu, we can find a way to get to that place, then we could bring peace without needless violence to those who deserve it, Tou-san."

Pain sighed, relenting. "…I'll think about it, princess."

Yuu beamed brightly, squeezing his hands once in gratitude before letting go. A change in subject was due. "So Papa, I've been thinking lately, and…"

"Mm?" He stared at her over the rim of his cup as he drank, quirking a brow.

"I want a little sibling."

Nagato choked violently on his tea.

They talked well into the morning after the tense atmosphere had been diffused, ate pastries and had more tea than she usually had in a week. He was more reserved, but she laughed without a thought to those around her and talked freely to him about anything that came to her mind. They flowed from topic to topic like water flowed down a stream. In the afternoon, they picked up a tub of ice cream from the general store and retreated to the outskirts of the village, where he taught to her skip stones across a moving river. He spoke fondly of a friend that had once taught him when he was still a kid. _Yahiko_ , she thought, as they dipped their legs in the cool water and she giggled at the fish that tickled her feet. He told her vaguely of his past, careful with his detail, with an air of melancholy about him, spooning melted ice cream into his mouth absently every once in a while. Melancholy was their constant friend. _Papa_ , her mind supplied every time she looked at him, handsome, stoic face uncharacteristically smiling at her as she had never before seen any animation or drawing. _Papa._

Pale sunbeams danced through the trees and over the river, mesmerizing like a phantasmagoria playing on repeat as she rested her head on his shoulder and he fiddled with the ends of her hair idly, all-seeing eyes closed to the world.

 _Melancholy is our constant friend._

Yuupika felt like maybe she needed to cry then, for reasons she couldn't quite understand. Her being ached so strongly, her whole body feeling like it was being weighed impossibly down by gravity. Where was her center of gravity? She longed for something that she couldn't fathom, grasping onto Pain's shirt with sticky fingers. She wanted to get back something that was lost – not a place or a particular person, rather a feeling of happiness or wholeness that had somehow evaded her precious ones. How much different would her parents be if they had never experienced sadness? How much different would everyone in the Akatsuki be? If they had never experienced pain…

 _Yahiko, can I really do it? Can I really bring peace?_

The feeling faded away like embers.

* * *

Two weeks went by, sprinkled with little outings, gifts, and dates and Yuu happily enjoyed all of it. She loved the attention, there was no denying that. At the moment, she sat at the kitchen table, playing with a a bouquet of heathers (admiration), anemones (sincerity), and thistles (determination) that Itachi had gifted to her – it was her favorite solely because he couldn't even look her in the eye when he presented it. His near invisible blush said enough.

Kakuzu blurred around the kitchen, preparing their dish for the evening, oyakodon. Her eyes flickered to her mother's letter splayed out to the side. Yuu sighed.

Long story short?

She thought Neji was a charming young man. She thought Itachi wouldn't show her the proper love and affection she craved – but was still very cute and sincere.

(and she wondered about that, now that her mother had brought it to her attention – would Itachi be receptive to her very affectionate nature? He seemed highly uncomfortable with skin to skin contact.)

Yuu played with the dry brush in her hands, the inkwell and pages untouched in front of her. Stupid politics. Why couldn't she just marry a nice, loving man from Ame? He didn't even have to be a ninja. Kami knows there was no shortage of them who would readily accept her.

"You'll get wrinkles if you continue to make those faces." Kakuzu spoke as he seasoned the chicken. Yuu blew raspberries into the air slumped in her chair.

"Well, you frown all the time and you don't have wrinkles, so it must be okay." She grumbled and he rolled his eyes, exasperation and a hint of irritation flashing.

"Brat." A few moments of silence and pan grease sizzling. "What troubles you?"

Yuu rose to her feet and plodded over to him, hugging the miser from the side. "This is all so troublesome, you know, this whole marriage business. I just wanted a vacation!"

Kakuzu grunted, flicking her nose when she looked up at him. "You don't have to make a decision now. You're still a child." Oh. Yeah. She forgets about that sometimes. What a silly little thing, her age.

"I guess." She mumbled, burying her face in his apron. "Wha' 'bout you? Is there anyone you like?"

He scoffed and the atmosphere changed. She was glad for it.

"That's not an answer~." The girl sang, tugging on his clothes. "I'm serious! Don't you have someone you like?"

"As if." His tone was mocking, like he wouldn't even consider such a thing. Well, he _was_ really old and all, and Yuu doubted that many people found his appearance attractive – but then again…

Yuu smirked mischievously. " _I'm_ gonna set you up on a _date_." He glanced down at her, looking mildly alarmed.

" _What?_ " He bit out – and why did he sound so offended?

"A date! I think I know someone who would be into bonda-"

He flicked her nose harshly before she ever got the chance to finish.

* * *

"-and then slash downwards like this – no, a little wider, not so tense. Ah! Just like that! Good job, gaki! You're a natural!"

Yuu stared on in silent amusement and mild displeasure. This was _supposed_ to be her impromptu training session with Juzo (as Kakuzu had kicked her out of the house) and they were _supposed_ to be uninterrupted until dinner time – but it somehow turned into an ANBU training session after just an hour, with her ever-so-helpful brother as the instructor.

ANBU Jackal preened under the swordsman's praise, while Rabbit, Deer, and Otter were going through the stances Juzo showed them mere yards away. Yuu growled lowly – she wouldn't be surprised if they could feel her vibes from all the way across the field. The girl had somehow been mitigated lunch duty – and Sasori had only sent with them two bento, so she had to scavenge for more in the training grounds that they found themselves in. A few times, she had seen the group over yonder twitching in her direction, no doubt smelling her cooking, and was just a bit more irritated for it.

The ANBU were supposed to be watching them and that's it! Just two of them, there had only ever been two assigned to them, but alas, four operatives were there. And how ever did that happen? Oh, never mind, now there were six. Where were they coming from? Why wouldn't they just go away? This was highly unprofessional. Not to mention her stalker in the trees - why wouldn't he jump down and help her? Was this how Kushina felt trying to stave off bullies by herself while Minato just watched her like a pansy? Che.

She grumbled fussily to herself as she rearranged the sautéed asparagus, tomatoes, and mushrooms to lay under the panda onigiri (it was frightening how well Sasori could make art with food – actually with almost anything) in order to make room for the rabbit chunks she had just roasted. Yuu then chopped the soft boiled eggs into even smaller halves before flopping down in the grass – and then few more ANBU appeared in the clearing, awkwardly shuffling into the group under her brother's supervision.

"Alright, minions! Let's put it into practice! Come at me with what you've just learned, two at a time!"

The girl groaned.

"Trouble in paradise, Yuupika-san?" Itachi probably had intended to scare her – his landing was perfectly silent and he hadn't made a peep the whole time he was watching her. But the vibrations of his facial muscles twitching, his breath, his scent, her senjutsu… She cracked open one eye, silently assessing him for a moment. He was given away as soon as he came within a kilometer of her.

"Oho~?" She drawled, letting her aggravation seep slightly into her tone. "Now you decide to come down? When I no longer need your help?"

He blinked slowly. "…it is very hard to catch you unaware."

She snickered, sitting up properly. "Evidently so, Itachi-san." The girl patted the space beside her and he sat down obligingly. In the distance, Juzo (the badass he was) danced around the two ANBU trying to score a hit on him with their blades. It was hard to stay angry when she saw him having so much fun. "What brings you to my training session?"

He quirked a slim eyebrow in unconcealed amusement. As friends, they got comfortable with each other very quickly, even though he was quite stunted when it came to anything remotely romantic. "Nothing in particular." _Bullshit._ "Though, I don't believe you need much more instruction in food preparation."

She nudged his shoulder playfully. "Very funny, Itachi-san." Was her sarcastic reply. "This was originally supposed to be an outing centered around me, but the ANBU are surprisingly selfish. Look at them," She gestured towards the group. "Soaking up my sensei's teachings as if they were meant for them in the first place. No regard to little ole' me, Juzo Biwa's rightful apprentice." She sighed as Itachi let out a small chuckle.

"That is quite unfortunate. Is there any way I could help?"

Yuu smiled slyly at him. "Well…perhaps if I'd feel better if I could get another taste of your mother's cooking…"

He faced her fully. "Would you like to come over for dinner, Yuupika-san? I do not believe you have met my younger brother yet. He will be back from his academy field trip today. Perhaps," This was most definitely the purpose of his stalking her right here, with the way his forefinger and the corner of his mouth twitched being a giveaway. "You would not mind coming with me to pick him up?" He was nervous, that much she could deduce. His back was much too straight, shoulders too stiff.

Yuu gave him a disarming, close-mouthed grin. "Of course, Itachi-san. I would love to meet your cute little brother." _And I'd like to get my petty revenge on Juzo for disregarding me, as well… Kakuzu will kill him when he learns that Juzo lost me in a foreign village._

 _That's not too vindictive, right?_

The Uchiha relaxed, turning his attention to the training session beside them, mumbling, "…he _is_ very cute." The kunoichi giggled as he rose to his feet and helped her up. "My cousin, Shisui, will also be attending – if that is alright with you?" _Shisui, huh. Itachi's best friend._

"Sure." Yuu told him. Itachi hummed in acknowledgement and led her away from the field and through the path in the forest noiselessly, content in the sounds of nature around them. Once nearer to the city though, they ran into someone quite unexpected.

"Hikaru Hyūga?" Yuupika tentatively called, scarcely believing. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't forgotten about him – and she seemed to be forgetting a lot of people lately. Long, silky tresses swayed as the boy in questioned turned, angular lines of his face and pupil-less eyes a vision of calm – until, he spotted her, that is. And how was he still so much taller than her? Why was everyone taller than her?

"Amehime." He addressed her with barely concealed…well, something. She wasn't really sure what kind of emotion could make him so angry. Was he still sore over his loss in the chūnin exams? His gaze slanted to Itachi. "Uchiha-san." The man beside him, who she had honestly just noticed, turned fully around as well, planting his long cane in the dirt. This man was older – much older, and tall, with hair that was even longer than Hikaru's, wrinkly skin giving him a rather pinched appearance. He assessed each of them with a pale gaze and – oh. Hikaru and this man had…quite similar features. Same nose, same lips, same chin…were they directly related?

"Manners, Hikaru-kun," His voice wasn't as weathered as she expected it to be. The Hyūga boy ducked his head slightly at the reprimand, and when he looked back up, his features were wholly impassive. _…huh. He really is a sore loser._

"Yes, Ojii-san. Forgive my tone, Amehime, Uchiha-san. I am still riled from my training."

"It is of no consequence, Hyūga-san." Itachi answered for her. She could see the clenched muscles hidden underneath his clothes (so what if she just took a little peak?), signifying his great discomfort with the situation. Yuu could read the signs, he was all too eager to flee. _But…not yet._

"Hikaru…" She murmured. What had become of him? Then, in a louder voice, "How have you been, Hikaru-kun? I haven't seen you in a while. I trust your training went well?" Not giving him time to respond, she bowed slightly. "Please forgive my rudeness, Ojii-san, I'm Yuupika Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," The older man said. "I am Hiburi Hyūga, grandfather of Hikaru-kun."

 _No caged bird seal, old as a tree, holding himself with a regal air, chin just slightly raised in superiority…he's a main branch elder isn't he? It certainly would explain Hikaru's lack of a seal…_

"I am well, Amehime," Hikaru maneuvered his way back into the conversation. Itachi was still a steel rod beside her. "I am unharmed from my training."

 _How stiffy. What's with this attitude?_ Yuupika smiled regardless. "I'm glad. It's been a delight seeing you." _I'll have some mercy on my cute little Itachi now._ "Well, we have a prior arrangement to attend to. Please, give my regards to your cousin. I hope to see you both again soon."

"Of course, Amehime." Hikaru and his grandfather gave a polite bow to reciprocate hers and Itachi's, and then they parted ways. Once out of hearing range, she leaned more into the boy beside her.

"So formal," She commented jokingly and he glanced sideways at her.

"Indeed. The Hyūga are very polite."

Yuupika laughed softly, her free hand's fingers tracing a pattern on his bicep that made him tense slightly – she kept doing it anyway, though, because his muscles were very, very nice. Was she being too forward?

Meh. They were kids anyway, what did it matter?

"So, would you tell me more about Sasuke-chan?"

Itachi rolled with the change in subject gracefully. "My otōto is very dedicated to his studies," He began with a small quirk of his lips. "He likes shuriken training and has a healthy fascination with fire techniques. His favorite snacks are stuffed tomato and senbei and he enjoys spending time with me. For such reasons, he may not be so…welcoming of your presence. Please take no offense."

"No worries," She sang as they turned off the trail and onto one of Konoha's main roads. "It doesn't bother me."

Yuu already knew that Sasuke was possessive of his brother. It was a reoccurring theme in the series when they showed him as a young boy, and even as a teen, he relentlessly chased after his kin. Often times, she believed that he still loved Itachi deep down, but was too hurt and confused to realize it – or maybe he did realize it and he hated himself for feeling that way after the massacre. It would help explain why he was so angry and angst ridden all the time. Emotions can be hard like that. So yes, she knew this all, but she was quite baffled when they finally accosted the academy and little Sasuke barreled into Itachi so hard that she had to let go in order to keep her balance. Itachi was chuckling, unaware, but the boy in his arms was glaring at her so hard that he could have boiled water.

Okay. She was bothered.

"Nii-san! Who is _she_? What is she _doing_ here? Why was she _touching_ you?" Sasuke demanded of his brother, his hold tightening. Faintly, Yuu thought she could hear Itachi's ribs creaking.

Itachi gently (but firmly) pried Sasuke off of him, a small, disapproving frown on his face. "Sasuke, don't be rude. This is the princess of Ame no Kuni, Yuupika Uzumaki. She and cousin Shisui are dining with us tonight."

The little Uchiha whipped around to face his brother, a betrayed look on his face. " _What?!_ But-"

" _Sasuke_ ," Itachi hissed, his frown deepening. "Apologize."

Dejected, Sasuke turned to her and bowed formally, mumbling, "…sorry."

Yuu sighed quietly. "It's alright, Sasuke-kun…" It was probably the first time that someone had so blatantly and avidly expressed dislike regarding her. At least, the first time to her face. Hikaru was at least somewhat civil…

Itachi moved back over to her side, an awkward hand on her back in an attempt to ease her, though he looked very out of his comfort zone doing so. Well, at least he tried. "Shall we go, Yuupika-san? Sasuke?" The little boy moved to the other side of Itachi, glaring at the ground as Yuu locked her arm around her suitor's, and then they were off. "So, Sasuke," Itachi began, trying to diffuse the stressed air. "How was the field trip?"

The six year old brightened considerably at his brother's attentions. "It was so cool, nii-san! Iruka-sensei taught us how to make a fire from sticks, set up tents, cook with forest herbs, and how to set traps! But the lecture about wild berries was boring."

"But, you still listened, yes?"

"Of course," Sasuke pouted, irritated that his brother doubted him. It was cute, Yuu thought. "But this one _annoying_ kid ate poisonous berries anyways and couldn't stop going _number two_ for like half the trip." … _Naruto?_ "And he talked _so_ _loud_ , he kept interrupting sensei all the time and making trouble."

"Some people learn differently than others, Sasuke. You should try to be nice to all your peers."

"But, nii-san, he's such a… _usuratonkachi_." _Oh yeah. He's definitely talking about Naruto. It's just like him to make all that fuss. I wonder how that little bugger is?_

Itachi bopped his younger brother on the head, to which he yelped indignantly at. "Don't call your classmates names, Sasuke. It's not nice." He reproached. A flush came to Sasuke's cheeks and he mumbled irritatedly under his breath. "What was that?"

"N-Nothing, nii-san…"

Yuu giggled behind a palm, and Itachi swiftly glanced over at her, seeming to have forgotten that she was there. He blushed a little as well, averting his eyes. The rest of the trip was spent in comfortable silence as they walked back to the Uchiha compound, Yuu occasionally smiling and waving at villagers who greeted her. She saw a few KMPF officers patrolling who also dipped their heads towards the group, though Yuu got the feeling it was mostly towards Itachi. The Uchiha compound was surprisingly filled with even more smiles and greetings than the rest of Konoha. It was warm, welcoming. Yuu felt relaxed.

Hard to believe these people planned to overthrow the government.

Mikoto met them at the door. "Itachi, Sasuke – Yuupika-chan! What a pleasant surprise! Will you be joining us for dinner today?"

The young kunoichi beamed. "Only if you'll have me, Mikoto-san! I honestly wanted some more of your cooking."

The woman's cheeks swirled faintly with chakra and she smiled wider, flattered by her words. "Ah, well, dinner will be ready soon. Come inside, please."

She ushered them in with the ease of long practice, placating little Sasuke as he fussed for her attention. He was obviously very displeased that Yuu had apparently stolen not only Itachi's attention, but his mother's as well. She idly wondered if he was going to blow up in a tantrum soon. For all that he had looked cool and collected in the show, he was really quite emotional. "Shisui's in the back, Itachi-kun," Mikoto said in between soothing phrases towards her youngest. Itachi nodded, boldly clutching her wrist as he led her through the house. _Well, this is a small step up. At least he can initiate physical contact now._ Yuu idly noted Fugaku's sluggish chakra in his study and then the suppressed coils of who she guessed was Shisui in the trees in the backyard. Itachi immediately looked towards him when they stepped onto the porch. _His chakra sensing is quite keen_.

"Shisui." He called in a monotone. The trilling of cicadas and birds was his response for but a moment until the chakra minutely spiked and –

Yuupika's heart skipped several beats.

"Hiya! Pleasure to meetcha," Tall, with thick curls, broad, muscular shoulders and a wide, enchanting smile, Shisui bowed. " _Amehime_."

And well, in her defense…who wouldn't fall for that? How could she have forgotten about this…this…

It felt like all the blood in her body rushed towards her face and she blinked rapidly. Beside her, Itachi's expression shifted from confusion, alarm, and then something unreadable within the span of a second. Then, just as fast, he stepped forward and somewhat in front of her.

"Shisui, you're early."

The ( _handsome, oh my kami_ ) teen, smirked devilishly at Itachi and Yuu was a breath away from fainting. "Ho~? Is that a crime, 'Tachi-chan?" _And_ his voice was deep. Who gave him the right?

"You never arrive early." Itachi sounded like he was downright _accusing_ his cousin.

"I have to keep you on your toes somehow," Shisui joked, tilting his head playfully so that his wide jawline and neck were displayed. Yuupika rested a hand on her chest just in case her heart decided to break away from it. How was she going to _survive a whole dinner_ in the presence of this man?!

* * *

She didn't survive, not really.

The whole affair was nerve-wrecking and she couldn't stop blushing when Shisui looked in her direction and Itachi was continuously trying to keep her attention (which was as much as a failure as anyone could imagine with his diminutive social skills) while Sasuke was trying to keep Itachi's attention, while Mikoto tried to keep the young one calm, but Shisui kept antagonizing him, and Fugaku just looked dead on his feet and –

Overall, dinner was a disaster.

Relaxing on a chair with Fugaku in his study, Yuupika sighed tiredly, uncaring of the blatant emotional display in the presence of the clan leader. He was no better, sipping on sake mindlessly behind his desk. They both needed a little respite from things that plagued them.

And besides that, she had been meaning to get him alone for a while.

"So," She started and his droopy eyes drifted to her. "How are things?"

Fugaku shrugged one shoulder. "Fine – if only paperwork did not exist."

She chuckled weakly, running a hand through her locks. "Ah, well. There's no helping that." The sound of Sasuke yelling at Shisui outside and a spike of chakra as the teen left. She was silently glad and hoped that she wouldn't see him again. Her heart would not be able to take it.

He nodded with a grunt, glancing towards the window on his left. "And how are your affairs?"

"Same as always, I suppose."

A pause. "Do you ever plan to release graphene robes for shinobi use?" The man inquired randomly, taking her by surprise. She pondered it for a minute or so.

"Maybe. Is it selfish of me to want to keep the technology private?"

"…no. The shinobi world is not ready."

It felt good to hear him affirm her thoughts. They sat in soundless contentment for a while. Fugaku, despite being portrayed as a hardass, was actually quite a calm, reasonable man. He loved his family. He loved his clan. He loved Konoha. In that order. He was not above listening to others' opinions and taking them into consideration. He did not love violence. He only wanted peace and fairness for those around him. She wondered how bad the Uchihas' situation within the village was to drive him to extremes like planning a coup. She knew that the man had stalled it for as long as he could, prearranged for the majority of civilians to be unharmed and for the rebellion to be as bloodless and quiet as possible – he knew it would leave Konoha vulnerable for a short time. He wanted the transition of leadership to be as smooth as he could feasibly make it.

She often wondered what would have become of the Uchiha if they were given another option. And such wondering had brought her here.

"Did you know that there is an island far to the south that is bigger than any nation on this continent?"

Fugaku's brow furrowed questioningly. "Is that so?"

"Yes. The center of it is rich with resources and life, surrounded by smaller islands, protected by it's environment. Yet, it's uninhabited by man – no one can cross the vast ocean to reach it." Fugaku slowly gestured for her to continue with a nod of his head, mild interest playing on his features. "But…if someone could reach it and plausibly take along with them a group of people, then they would live and thrive away from the clutches of war and death."

"It sounds like a far-fetched fairytale, Yuupika-san."

"Maybe. But to those who have seen too much death, who are elderly and tired, young and innocent, maybe even to those who are misfits that don't quite fit in anywhere else, who only want the best for the ones they love but can't help feeling that they don't belong in the place they call home…?" His eyes sharpened with her words, fingers clenching minutely around the sake dish. Yuu kept her expression carefully oblivious. "Well, that place could be a home."

He took three slow breaths, and then, "I believe Itachi planned to buy you some ice cream before walking you home."

Yuupika knew a dismissal when she heard one. "Of course," She said, standing to her feet. The important thing was that she had planted a seed.

She didn't look back as she left his office.

* * *

Yuupika closed her book with a dull thump after finally finishing it and set it on the nightstand next to her. She turned the light off and sat back on her pillows, staring at the empty space a certain blond had occupied not too long ago. A few minutes passed, then she turned her gaze to the window, blinds open and giving a clear view of the sleeping world outside. She stared up to the black sky – always, always black, always blank, always colorless and void. Her chest rose slowly with her breaths.

What to do?

Sleep would not come. She was strangely restless. She was…lonely. Night time most always brought out the darkest, smallest parts of her.

 _Why do I feel like I'm so alone, surrounded by people who love me? What am I missing? Who am I missing? Where are you? Where are you when I need you to listen? Where are you when I miss you? I'm empty…I'm tired without you._

 _You lovely, lovely monster of a man. What will become of us? Is my desire enough? Is my ambition enough? Can I fulfill Yahiko's dream? Can I even take another step without you?_

 _Where are you? Obito…_

 _I need you here._

It was like an answer to her silent wish – there was a distortion in the air and she could barely believe what her senjutsu was showing her as the man in question appeared before her. They locked eyes and everything else faded a little, like there was nothing quite of the same luster as Obito, nothing that struck quite the same wonderment and longing. He was too beautiful to admire, too marvelous for her eyes to behold. She could only just stand to look at him, she was forgetting to breathe. Obito, _precious Obito_ , standing there like the center of the sun. She would burn alive in that moment just to be closer to him.

And then he touched her and every cell in her body vibrated with…with something that ran deeper than a four letter word could describe. There were no words to emulate what was overwhelming her as he slipped below the covers and brought her into his arms. _Home – home, home, home._

His fingertips dragged up her back and into her hair, leaving trails of fire and color in their wake. His eyes were like magma, he breathed deeply of her – and Yuupika just barely understood it, the thing that was too encompassing for touches to convey, swallowing up all her depths and all her shallows. She clutched him like he was the only thing between her and the abyss of her solitude. And she thought, well –

 _Maybe it's supposed to feel like this – like it's more than I could ever bear, as if there are one thousand years pressed into this single moment – so that there is infinitely more to hold onto._

 _And there is infinitely more to mourn._

"Will you stay until morning?" She whispered, lips moving against his collarbone.

"Maybe," His voice, deep and full like the ocean, answered her back in the same low volume. Yuu moved her hands along the planes of his chest, admiring and memorizing the feel of his skin as best as she could. It had been too long since she had seen him last, since she'd talked to him and been held by him.

"I missed you," She told him truthfully and his hold tightened. "Where have you been?"

"Busy," He deflected. "I had many things to take care of."

Yuu frowned, holding back a sigh. She knew that he would always be busy, just like she knew that he would always leave her before the dawn. "…I missed you." She reiterated after a couple minutes.

Obito looked down at her, shifting just so in order to kiss the space between her brows. "I'm here now." Slanted eyes bore into her. Could she really ask for more? She wanted to ask for more. She wanted so much more than this…abusive, broken thing between them. _it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts-_

"Sleep."

And she obeyed.

* * *

Sasori was her date again. Yuupika wasn't surprised and she didn't object. The puppeteer knocked on her door five minutes before they were slated to leave and Yuu answered, smiling at the handsome man in front of her.

( _Sasori_ , seductive eyes and gentle smile, _patiently waiting on her always_.)

"You look beautiful." He passed slim digits through her hair.

"I'm a little young for you, you know." She teased and he chuckled.

"Of course, Yuu-chan. Pay no mind to me."

Her chest warmed as she took his offered hand. "Whatever." They walked into the common area, where Pain, Kakuzu, and Juzo were waiting.

"Princess," Pain approached her, a smile on his pierced lips. His heavy hand brushed her jaw and she leaned closer into it. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Papa."

They departed for the ball as the sun disappeared for the night.


	21. And The World Turned Sideways

A/N: Yo!

I'm really, really sorry in advance. Don't hate me, please.

(also, please vote on Yuu-chan's hubby(s)-to-be)

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but if I did, the series would probably be more depressing.

* * *

They arrived in a grand flourish, the doors opening slowly and dramatically to let them in. The steward standing beside the door placed two fingers to his throat, chakra gathering and twisting to amplify the vibrations of his vocal cords as he introduced them formally to the applauding audience. Various political figures smiled and welcomed them in from the chilly night air, a few clan heads taking time to introduce themselves.

(and wasn't it curious that Ino Yamanaka was a boy? She'd have more time to think on that later. She just had to get through the night, she had to prepare herself, she knew it was coming-)

Yuu let her senjutsu float over the place like a blanket, taking note of everyone there and putting names to faces that she had studied beforehand.

"It's a little crowded," Juzo whispered, low enough so only their party could hear.

"This is a major political event, idiot." Kakuzu grumbled, glaring at a blushing woman who tried to approach Pain. Yuu felt something twist in her stomach, seeing the amount of women staring so lustfully at her father. He was handsome, yes, but with his piercings and unsettling eyes, not many people would agree. _It's his power. His title. They think they can take shots at him since Kaa-san isn't around._ She fought back the urge to scowl. _How shallow. Annoying. I wish they would disappear._

"How long do we have to be here anyway?" Juzo frowned, tugging uncomfortably at his formal wear.

"Until the end of the night." Pain told him over his shoulder, as he nodded to a dignitary. The swordsman mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, looking displeased. Yuu tittered into the sleeve of her kimono, her attentions diverted.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Juzo-kun." Sasori said, glancing over to her amusedly and winking. The girl, feeling warm, leaned closer to him and rested her head briefly on his arm as a gesture of affection.

"Amekage-sama," Their small party turned to see Hiashi Hyūga on the left, smiling (which was honestly very weird for Yuu to see, even after having seen it many times already). "A pleasure to see you here."

"Ah, Hiashi-san. The pleasure is mine." Pain dipped his head in acknowledgement, his face as set as stone. Yuu briefly saw the warm smile he always gave her superimposed over the present image – then blinked it away. From beside the Hyūga clan head, Neji's pupil-less eyes honed in on her, flashing appreciatively at her appearance. He cocked his head to the right, and she smirked as they easily parted from their respective groups, Sasori never detaching from her arm. Neji looked to the redhead politely.

"May I steal her from you for a moment?" He asked and Sasori's gaze narrowed a fraction before he nodded stiffly and Yuu was passed from one male to the other. Sasori fell back to a respectful, but still close, distance behind them, next to Neji's branch member guard. Yuu felt a sort of pity for him for having to follow her around instead of enjoying the festivities – she saw him glancing longingly over at the snack table. "You are breathtaking tonight, Yuupika-san."

The girl focused back on byakugan user with a small blush. "Thank you, Neji-san. You look quite handsome yourself."

He smiled. "So, are you enjoying yourself thus far?"

"Mm, it's still up for debate," He chuckled at this. "Politics are rather drab, but we do what me must, yes?"

"Oh yes, I agree. I'm quite relieved that the Land of Fire only hosts this ball once a year." Neji turned to her with humor laced in his ( _cute_ ) features. "Though, I do wish the cooks were this extravagant more often. There is far too much monotony in the clan compound."

Yuu hummed. "Ah, that's right. The Hyūga provided the food this year, yes?" _And the Uchiha, the music._

He nodded. "We're not Akimichi, but that doesn't mean we do not have taste."

"Oh, I'm sure." She smiled charmingly at him and his stare lingered for longer than it usually did.

"Would you like to get some fresh air with me?" He asked after a pause. Behind them, Sasori's frown deepened, but Yuu still nodded and let the Hyūga lead her through the crowd. They both had to stop a few times to greet important figures and to make some idle conversation, but reached the back of the ballroom relatively quickly. The ninja there opened up the large, double doors to the surrounding gardens, vast and beautiful to her unseeing eyes. Neji turned to their guards. "Would you mind waiting here?"

The branch member, of course, agreed, but Sasori hesitated – and Yuupika did as well. She would be unprotected, alone with him, with her trusted friend too far away to prevent any harm that might come to her. She didn't seriously think that Neji would have the gall or even the motivation to do so, but then again, she didn't truly know him all that well. He looked unassuming, but so did she, and Yuu was secretly plotting total world domination.

In any case, should it ever come to such a thing, the kunoichi knew that she could defend herself with her senchakra and petrify the boy ( _even though that would cause political disaster_ ). So, she nodded to very uncomfortable Sasori, silently letting him know that it was alright and that she would keep vigilant. The puppeteer stiffened again, but nodded back and their escorts positioned themselves at the steps leading to the gardens while the pre-teens headed down into it. Neji guided her around the flowers, all the alluring scents euphorically drifting into her oversensitive nose and inciting a light, dreamy feeling inside of her. _What a dangerous thing. Trying to lower my inhibition, Neji-kun? Whatever for?_ Yuu spread her range just a little more, pouring more chakra into it to sharpen the details she saw. _There's no one waiting to attack me. Will you attack me? Or will you now assault me with pretty words…_

They stopped, just a small ways from the koi pond (which every garden that came from wealth seemed to have), and Neji took a deep breath, taking a long look around. Pale moonbeams lit up the petals and filtered through the trees, casting shifting shadows on the ground that played by their feet.

"Beautiful." She commented, just to start up some form of conversation. He turned to her, pale orbs marveling her face.

"I agree." His lengthy, silky hair slipped over his shoulder as he bowed his head, brows furrowed at the dirt for a moment before he straightened himself to be taller than before. _Words it is, then. Pretty words._ "Yuupika," _No honorific? How presumptuous._ "I know that this is one of your last nights here, so feel it prudent that I express myself now, in case I do not get the chance to do so like this again. We haven't spent long together – but you are marvelous in my eyes. You are enchanting. I have felt that since the moment I saw you. You've stolen my all thoughts. And I know, princess, that you have a great many options. There are many men who would hope to have your hand simply because of who you are." His fingers slowly drifted and entwined with hers, squeezing lightly. "I am one of those, yes – but I also adore the person who lies beyond the image of royalty and brilliance. I adore your every laugh, your words, your smile and the reddening of your cheeks," One of his hands came up, fingertips lightly tracing the parts of her face as he named them. "I adore the dip of your brow, the slope of your nose, line of your jaw, curve of your chin, the bow of your lips…" Neji leaned in, cupping her face tenderly as he invaded her personal space – he kissed her.

Yuu felt…warm. Her stomach was weightless like gravity had left it. This was nothing like the chapped, hesitant, brief press that Akihiko given her so long ago. Neji was confident, sure, and affectionate with his kiss, chaste as it was. _He has experience. But from where? Who has he been involved with?_ It lasted for a long few seconds.

Then, with surprising reluctance, he pulled away. He rested his forehead on hers. Yuupika opened eyes that she hadn't even realized she closed, staring into his. "I like you very much, Yuupika…and I can only hope I've made a good impression on you. I can only hope that when the time comes, you'll think of me to be your husband. His hands left hers and disappeared for a moment, then came back with –

Yuu blinked slowly as Neji deftly secured an ornamental comb in her locks, which were done up intricately to accentuate her jaw and reveal her slim nape. He fleetingly touched the strands hanging around her face. "I've always loved your hair. So, I thought it appropriate to give you something for it – something for you to remember me by, if nothing else. It's jade; that color never fails to highlight your bewitching eyes."

 _Ah, what pretty words. He's very good with them too. His tone, his expression, his posture, his presentation…_ Yuupika lifted her hands to rest on his chest and tilted her head up, pressing her lips once again to his. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. _It won't be enough to sway me, though._ Her palms brushed his neck as she raised them to cup his cheeks and his arms surrounded her waist, bringing her form against his. They stayed like that, woven together for another long moment, before she retreated, a sly smile playing across her mouth.

"I won't forget you, Hyūga Neji." She brushed her thumbs over his sharp cheekbones and moved to leave his embrace. He easily released her, one arm held horizontally to catch one of her hands and secure it there as they walked back to the ballroom. Once back in sight, Sasori's tense body uncoiled a bit, his seductive eyes roving over her to check for any injuries. Yuu smiled at him in reassurance and relief flitted over his features.

"I suppose I should let you go then, Amehime." Neji sighed. "The night is far from finished and there are many who still desire your company."

"I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Neji-san." Yuu said as they approached the steps.

"Please – I believe we are past formalities."

"Of course…Neji-kun."

His small smile widened. "Yuupika-chan. I wish you the best of luck on your performance." She was handed over to Sasori gently, fingers lingering on her skin before leaving completely. The puppeteer held her closer than usual in their wake.

"Thank you."

The doors opened before them and they parted ways with nary more than another glance.

"Was he respectful?" Sasori asked tersely as they slipped through the dense crowd.

"Respectful?" She hummed in mischievous thought, waving to a stern looking Fugaku from across the space. "Well, he did kiss me without asking."

Sasori's steps faltered. " _What?_ "

"Oh, it's not that big of a deal – it was hardly my first anyway."

The man at her side stopped altogether, shock and disbelief arresting him in place.

"Amehime." A new voice from her right sounded and she smiled pleasantly at the man it came from, acting as if she hadn't just dropped significant bombs on her faithful companion.

"Hokage-sama," She bowed politely, Sasori copying her robotically. "A pleasure."

"Of course. Are you enjoying yourself tonight?"

"Oh, quite. Have you sampled the food yet?"

"Yes, the Hyūga have outdone themselves yet again." Another man suddenly slid up alongside the Hokage, and then yet another, all smiling pleasantly. Yuu fought the urge to take a wary step back, tightening her hold on Sasori. _Is this an ambush? Che, most definitely. Look at them, cornering me while my father is occupied with others._

"Well, well, little Amehime." Jiraiya of the Sannin bent a little at the knees to look at her properly – something she didn't really appreciate, as it pronounced how short she was. Sasori, unsettled as well, but unable to speak because of his status, simply glared at him. Jiraiya didn't pay him any mind. "You're the one they call genius?" He hummed in reflection, then slanted his chin slighty over his shoulder. "I don't see it, sensei."

"Don't be too hasty in your judgement now, Jiraiya-chan." The Sarutobi framed, studying his student and her briefly.

Yuu smiled. _Of course you see it. Of course, since you are examining me so closely, with the stare that wants to dissect all my secrets; the stare that wants to conquer me completely._ "Whether you 'see it' or not remains irrelevant in regards to the truth and the assessment of your superiors."

The Goliath of a man's eyes widened shortly. He laughed boisterously. "Oh yes, of course. They always have such sharp tongues."

"Maybe a lesson you could learn, Jiraiya-sama?"

"Mouu, no need to be so hostile," Kakashi of the Sharingan drawled, rolling his shoulders indolently. Muscles strained under fabric, bulging out against their restraints for the world to admire. _The Hokage's guards are looking quite alluring tonight._ Grudgingly, she admitted in her mind that even the older sannin was a regal sight, his mane brushed into compliance and held back from his wide face.

"Of course," She dipped her head. "Forgive my tone if I come off as such, my lords – my humor is often mistook." Yuu peered submissively through her lashes.

"Ho~," Jiraiya sang lowly. "This one will be quite the beauty when she grows. Don't forget me then, dearie – casting for Icha Icha begins in a few years, after all…"

"So, that _is_ happening?" Kakashi, slouch straightening, turned his attention to the man beside him. The Hokage did the same. Yuu felt some invisible weight lessen.

"Well, I think I did manage to land a deal with a production company based in Snow…though, they'll only animate my work if I agree to change Hikari-chan's image."

"They want to change the main character's love interest?" Kakashi's fine brow raised, his mask shifting.

"Yeah, the nerve." The Sannin huffed. "Though, I think it'll be fine. The actress in mind looks totally different from Hikari, but she's still a beauty! I think her name was Yukie Fu-Fujizake? Fujihame? Something of-"

"Absolutely _not_." Yuupika hissed. "What makes Hikari so special is her unique appearance! That's the reason Furata-kun was drawn to her in the first place! You can't just _change_ the thing that makes her special and expect everyone to just roll over and-"

The words died in her throat.

…

"…huh." The Hokage uttered. Her face flamed brilliantly. "They get younger every year."

" _Indeed_."

And _that_ familiar, deep voice shocked her into motion, her body jumping and whipping around to face the menacing expression of her father.

Yuu gaped like a fish, "I-I-I-I, ah, I-I, uh, T-T-Tou-"

"Yuupika-san!" Itachi (bless his soul) came bursting through the shifting crowds, hand encircling her free wrist. Immediately, Pain's whole attention was shifted from her to the boy in front of her. _Overprotective, even in a situation like this!_ "It's almost time! We must make haste."

"O-Of course," She spluttered, eagerly moving along with him as he began pulling her away. She didn't need her senjutsu to know what the expressions of those behind her were – and she worked swiftly to repress the incident and embarrassment that she'd just suffered. So what if she had maybe, just once or twice in her spare time, took an itty bitty peek at the books that were so famous throughout the world? It's not like she…well…it's not like she really enjoyed…even though the plot was…and the scenes were-

Yuupika bit the inside of her cheek harshly to push those thoughts away as the duo glided through the bodies, making it to the other side of the room and into an empty hallway. He guided her to the restrooms by the curve.

"Have you already prepared?" He asked.

Yuu nodded and slipped inside the spacious facility, locking the door after her. She brushed her fingers against her necklace, proudly on display against her furisode, and brought out the special dress she had tailored for this occasion. Unseeing orbs trailed it indulgently for a moment – and then laid it on the counter of the sink. She picked at her obi, unraveling it with a few deft flicks and letting it drop to the floor. The layers on her were next, sliding down her body one after the other. It felt good to be rid of the weighted material and pull on something lighter (though this was significantly more form-hugging). Her hair was let loose and she shook it a few times to give it wilder appearance. Silk ribbons were wound around her feet in the place of heels, since they wouldn't look quite right on her pre-pubescent self. Yuu swept up her things and folded them neatly, sealing them just in time for a knock to come at the door. She appraised her reflection one last time.

She opened up to Itachi, hair slicked back and held in a low bind, his long-sleeved dress shirt open just a few buttons to give a glimpse of collarbones and chest. _…wow…_ A hand of gentle demeanor reached out, palm up, inviting.

Yuu took it, but they didn't move. She looked to him.

"Yuupika-san. Before we depart, I would like to be blunt with you." Itachi came closer, so his toes were a hair's width away from hers. _He's going to make his proposal now? Right before our nerve-wrecking performance?_ "I know I'm not the best looking suitor available to you and I know I'm not the most charismatic. I know you have yet to travel the world and I know I'm not very memorable in retrospect. I know I leave much to be desired. I am Uchiha, a clan heir, and therefore I have duties that will sometimes take precedence in my life. If we come to be wed, then sometimes, I will have to neglect you. I hold no illusions that you would wait for me, nor do I hold any illusions that you will always have time for me as well." He navigated her hand to rest on top of his breastbone, just over his heart. It was rapidly beating, even though he was calm to the eyes. Yuu felt the chakra swirl in her cheeks. "But even so, I still hold a hope that I can be not only your husband, but your partner and friend. I would like to have a genuine relationship with you, who's company I have come to greatly enjoy in the past few weeks. It's not…love. But one day, perhaps, something more can come from these feelings I harbor. All I ask is that you would consider me...Yuupika-san."

 _Oh…_

 _He's…really serious about me…_

Yuu poked his scarred forehead, causing him to blink rapidly, startled. "Silly Uchiha," She murmured, meeting his gaze. "How could I forget you?" There was something in the way coal met amber in the quiet of the hall. Yuu knew it then and smiled. "You're my boyfriend now, after all."

He cocked his head slightly. "Boyfriend…?"

"Yeah," The girl affirmed. "You wanted a relationship with me, right?"

"I did not anticipate you making a decision so soon." Itachi said this, but his fingers momentarily shook where they were enveloping hers.

"Oh, I haven't. Like you said, I have yet to travel the world and meet all of my suitors – and whoever said I would be taking just one? But anyways," She slipped a sneaky appendage into his back pocket, simultaneously snatching his pager and making him jolt with a blush. In a flash, her personal number was inserted in his device. "I like you too. So let's try to make this work, okay?"

Itachi gingerly took his pager back and returned it to it's rightful place. "…okay."

A voice resonated through the ballroom some distance away, announcing them – it was time. The couple stepped out of the hallway hand-in-hand, subject to many gazes and found the crowd parting for them. The center of the room was decorated with instruments and clones that the kunoichi had made earlier that evening tuning them dutifully. There was a clear ring where they were to perform, the floor polished to shine and mirror the movements of the ones above it; in this case, Yuupika and Itachi, as they positioned themselves like they had practiced. Mikoto, off to the side in elegant formal-wear, let her features display the gentle love and support that seemed to reassure both of them. With that, Yuupika narrowed her range to just the small circle that they were allowed, focused only on Itachi and the pale emerald lighting that made him glow.

The music began.

Yuu's hand slid up and caressed Itachi's torso, entwining fingers when his hand fit over hers. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she stepped out from behind him and in between his legs, spinning in his arms briefly before he caught her. _His_ breath, _not a clone's_ , was on her neck as his nose pressed into her cheek and he focused on her lips – they were flush against one another. A tendril of warmth slithered around her belly and made it hard to breathe. They moved again, just as their routine mandated, his hands over her body, her mouth so close to his, the fabric of his clothing under her palms and brushing against the exposed inches of her skin – it was intimate, even though it was no different than before, their eyes hardly ever breaking contact, her hairs standing on end and reaching out for him. Itachi seemed to feel it too – whatever it was, it kept them tethered, the smell of sweat, the vibrations of his every move, the heat of his body mingling with her own, the passion in slanted orbs that saw only her.

They were in a room full of people, but they were alone.

And they danced.

Yuu didn't even realize when they had finished until the clapping overpowered the rush of blood in her ears and she expanded her senchakra to encompass the audience.

"We did it," Itachi whispered. Numbly, she nodded, and they detached from each other to bow, which incited another round of fervent applause. The boy next to her squeezed her hand one last time and then let go. Her nerves tingled.

"Yuu-chan!"

She turned in response, seeing Juzo, brightly beaming Juzo, making his way through the crowd to greet her. Yuupika began to step forward, intent on meeting him halfway.

And maybe it was the atmosphere. The way the lights were dimmed, the heady feeling of happiness, the pride flowing from every pore of him. Maybe it was because – _oh, it had to be because_ – he loved her with everything and he trusted her so fully that he predictably let his guard lower when he was focused on her. He let his muscles relax, his arms stretch out towards her, welcoming a hug, his warm countenance wrap around her even from so far away.

He had barely stepped out of the crowd when a hand snaked over his shoulder and slit his throat.


	22. Bonus 3: Ibiki's Interlude

A/N: Yo!

PLEASE READ!

500+ follows! YAAAAYYYYY!

You guys know that there is a bonus chapter every milestone, so here it is!

On another note, I was very pleasantly surprised by all the reviews I got on my previous chapter (don't hate me please). Thank you all for your comments/suggestions/criticism! I really appreciate you guys!

On the topic of suggestions, this is a small omake dedicated to one of my readers who put in a lil piece about wanting to see what Ibiki was up to. I decided to expand upon and share my response with all of you guys. Of course, you are always welcome to make suggestions like this and I'll throw in bonus chapters or even make some of your thoughts part of the story if they fit well enough. I have a definite direction I want this story to go in and events that I want to happen no matter what, but adding more depth (this is a bad pun that I did not intend) never hurt anyone.

Eventually, DP will get _very_ in depth (sorry for the stupid puns again) and be somewhat of a world-building fic, in it's own unique way. Don't forget, my loves, Yuu _is_ plotting to take over the world. In no way has that ambition taken a backseat to the events occurring now. Things will speed up soon.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and don't forget to vote on Yuu-chan's hubby(s)-to-be!

Reader-anonymous-writer, this is for you!

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but I own like 99% of Juzo's personality, so suck on that Kishimoto!

* * *

Ibiki was _not_ having a good day. And technically, he never had a good day – but this one was _really bad_. It wasn't even a day. It was still night. The middle of it, in fact. Interrupting his fucking sleep.

The man growled lowly to himself as he sifted through the papers on his desk, scanning their contents with the speed of long practice. The events of the past evening had been a fiasco, to put it lightly, what with the attempted assassinations of the Ame party at the ball, and the massacre that happened afterwards. He reread profiles on the perpetrators – eleven of them, with mostly only crushed, mangled body parts remaining, two just having been completely disintegrated.

He was curious; about that last one.

His finger traced the accounts of their behavior throughout the ball, looking for discrepancies or irregularities. Their temporary passports had been legitimate – which was quite a problem, since it meant that anyone in league with whoever was making these would be able to potentially infiltrate Konoha, if one disregarded the fact that they probably already had. Making a passport of such quality meant having access to government material in the capital of the Land of Fire, where they were distributed.

And that meant that they would have to write up new security protocols and raise the village danger status level by _at least_ two – which also meant that they would be entering war-time simulations, which would put enemy villages on edge and would lead to more spies trying to infiltrate or scout Konoha, which would lead to increased chance of confrontation, which would lead to rising tensions, which would lead to war, which would-

Ibiki massaged his temples, feeling a migraine quickly approaching.

Across the table, his mentor sighed wearily, pressing down wrinkles in the formal clothes that he was still wearing. A smear of blood across his front went ignored, but not unnoticed. "This certainly is a hard situation. We don't even have any prisoners to interrogate."

Ibiki grunted in agreement, laying down the files. "We'll have to mobilize agents in ANBU to research the origins of these passports in the capital and mobilize a few jōnin to investigate the perpetrators. We'd be smart to put the village on standby instead of lockdown for now until it is decided if and how much we should raise the danger status."

Inoichi nodded. "Not to mention how we'll go about making amends with the Amekage…"

"That is a political matter," Ibiki cut in gruffly. "We don't deal in those."

"You're right," The Yamanaka lifted his hands half-heartedly in surrender and stood to his feet. "I'll bring Shikaku your suggestions. Be back with coffee, maybe."

Ibiki sent him a small glare as he left, then focused back on his desk. There were requests from many officials to be allowed to leave Konoha, even though it was on immediate lockdown, which had to be processed and investigated. If anyone in the upper echelons of society was involved in this, they had to be found immediately – but the village couldn't simply hold everyone captive for an indefinite amount of time, and as such, they had a pathetically small window to operate in. Even smaller than usual because the Amekage himself did not even send in a request, he just left. Blew past security with his whole party and fucking left not even an hour after the incident occurred. That was another nightmare of paperwork that would be waiting for him in the morning when reports were written up and turned in for review.

His only saving grace was the thought that the shinobi community had finally banded together the previous week and had secretly begun drawing up one of the most intricate plans ever conceived to unmask Hatake. They even had a good few Naras in on it, giving extremely useful input on the operation. Ibiki's eyes shined. Oh yes, ever since that curious happening in the market district a few weeks ago, most everyone had once again invested themselves in revealing Hatake's true face. It inevitably happened every few years.

Well, it also could have been because of the betting pool he jokingly started up…

(half of his life savings were somehow there – most people had taken to calling him the Legendary Sucker's apprentice)

But it mattered not. He was sure of their victory. Hatake wouldn't ever see it coming, even despite being a legendary assassination and infiltration expert. Even despite being a legendary tracker. Hatake couldn't know, they had Naras on their side and he just wasn't _that good._

(at least, that's what Ibiki hoped…)

And then, perhaps, when he had won more in ryo than he could ever spend by himself in a lifetime, he would hit the The Lone Kunai for drinks, throw the biggest fucking party the elemental nations had ever seen, and marry the cute bartender that looked way too feminine for his own good.

Yeah. That sounded nice. Hatake wouldn't even know what hit him.

And speaking of bars and cute bartenders… Ibiki stood to his feet, shaking his hands and readjusting his (slightly tighter than before) pants.

Fuck Inoichi's coffee. He needed a strong drink.

* * *

A/N: This passage neither confirms nor denies what you're all stressing over...


	23. To Great Lengths

A/N: Yo!

Sorry about being so late with this, I got promoted at my job and now I work more hours. I come home tired and not very much in a mood to write, though richer in dollars and better able to pay my bills. I also took so long because it was very hard to compose this passage.

Anyways, content in this chapter sheds a bit more light on one of the darker, reoccurring themes in this book. If you haven't caught it yet from reading about her previous trauma, Yuu compartmentalizes (and occasionally, outright represses) bad experiences - and that's as dangerously unhealthy as it sounds. Look it up.

Don't forget to vote on Yuupika's hubby(s)! Thank you for your patience and reviews. I dearly love you all.

And one last thing - answer me this:

How far is too far? To what lengths would you go to achieve your goal?

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but what if Kishimoto doesn't either?

* * *

 _like the police officer becomes accustomed to the scene of the crime_

 _the doctor to the slow-coming, painful death_

 _so does time mandate that no one person can ever stay the same_

 _there is a point when our innocence is stolen from us all_

 _we are all slaves to the inevitable_

* * *

He had barely stepped out of the crowd when a hand snaked over his shoulder and slit his throat.

Yuu saw the blade flash, the exposure of his inner muscle and tissue, his eyes widen in registration of his pain, the pain in his eyes, his form seizing up – just as she saw the wire of gunpowder under the ground set aflame and the spark race blindingly fast along the dirt, up the wall, and just above her head.

The building was going to explode above hers, Itachi's, and Juzo's head.

 _Juzo._

 _Juzo._

 _Juzo._

 _Juzo!_

 _JUZO!_

 _BOOM._

Yuu poured everything into her senjutsu technique, her hands shooting up and directing the chakra towards the falling chunks of ceiling. They disintegrated instantly. The swordsman in front of her, an S-Class ninja in every sense, reached back with speed that she had never seen him use before, and grabbed the man who was poised to jump away, a meaty hand circling his throat fully. He clenched his fist, enhanced with chakra, and the assassin's eyes rolled back into his head. Juzo had crushed his throat and spinal cord. He was dead.

But Juzo was still spurting blood at a rapid pace.

Yuupika burst forward as her brother pushed both hands against his throat to try and stem the bleeding, falling to his knees on reflex. She reached him in record time, clutching his arms, tears already streaming like rivers down her face.

" _Juzo! Juzo_!" She cried, and he grunted gutturally as he slipped to the side, head bouncing against the granite and expression scrunched in pain. "JUZO!"

Men, just as swift, weapons poised already to strike, sprinted out of the screaming, panicking audience and towards her. Yuupika breathed sharply, coating Juzo in warm Yang chakra before spreading potent Yin in a column around them. The floor disintegrated, what was left of the ceiling disintegrated, the assassins themselves disintegrated, leaving only specs of dust and dirt floating upwards in the air – and then those were gone too. The sounds of metal clashing echoed behind the chaos, but Yuupika was still focused on the man in front of her, whose grip was weakened significantly.

" _Juzo-nii…Juzo…_ " She choked out as a sickening gurgle trickled from his lips. Her heart was a thundering hammer in her chest, her skin a mix of hot/cold and tingling like there was not enough air around her – there wasn't enough air around her! She was panting, her lungs feeling shriveled and hearing muffled like she was submerged in water and she could not get enough oxygen through her sobs that she couldn't remember starting. In the background, eight figures were lifted, struggling in the air and were subsequently squashed like bugs by an invisible force. A hand, large and _dripping_ in life liquid trembled as it rose towards her face. Weakly, Juzo grinned and cradled her cheek.

Then fingers slid down and along her chin and dropped with a dull thud to the ground.

 _nonOnoNOnoNonONONO-_

There wasn't enough air, there was no air at all – but her chakra _fluxed_ and she screamed.

Her hands grabbed his clothes, yanking, yelling at him to open his eyes, to get up, but the life was draining from his chakra and he was just _so heavy,_ when did he ever get so heavy and _cold_? _Why was Juzo so incredibly cold?_

"Yuupika." The girl turned as she heard her father's voice, his face as stoic as stone. There was a smear of blood across his cheek. She hurled up the contents of her stomach (though they were lost to her senchakra instantly) and he was next to her in an instant. How was he next to her? She was still purging everything within three meters…

Chakra was pooled heavily in his Rinnegan eyes as he checked over her, hands patting her down and positioning her slightly behind him. "It'll be fine, princess." He murmured, and then turned to Juzo ( _still motionless on the ground_ ) and performed a flash of hand seals. "Senpo: Fuin: Beloved of Kami!" A surge of chakra and a mass of unintelligible scribbles rushed over the swordsman, encasing him fully in a dull glow. Yuu felt everything in his body just stop – as if time froze.

"P-Papa?" Yuupika croaked uncertainly, shaking as she pulled on his robes. Pain glanced back at her and with a sleeve, rubbed the wetness and mess from her face.

"Everything will be fine, princess." He told her again. He flicked his fingers and Juzo's body floated gracefully over to Kakuzu and Sasori, who she just noticed were standing guard right outside her small circle of death. The puppeteer grabbed him, his whole expression closed off of any emotion and quickly sealed him in a small scroll. She watched as he mechanically secured the thing under his clothes in the weapons pouch that he always carried with him, somehow feeling more panic than before. "Come." The man beside her spoke as he scooped her into his arms, bringing her attention half back to him. Pain held her tight against him as he flew upwards and out of the hole in the ceiling, defying gravity like she subconsciously knew he could. Kakuzu and Sasori jumped out after them, artfully evading the Hokage and his guards as they arrived in the location they just retreated from. Droves of people were rushing out of the building, screaming, women crying, ninja herding them off to the side and trying to contain the stragglers who were attempting to run off. Yuupika saw it all in clarity and then not at all as they left the range of her senjutsu. Kakuzu and Sasori used their strings to vault along the roofs after her and Pain and in seconds, they were back at the Sarutobi compound.

"Deactivate your technique, Yuupika, you're safe now." Her father told her firmly and calmly, and her tense body relaxed at the sound of his reassuring voice. She did as he commanded, ignoring the circle of death around them where pretty garden flowers and trees once bloomed, and they stepped into the house. "Pack up everything, now." He ordered. Sasori and Kakuzu immediately set in motion, going about the rooms of the residence and sealing everything into the scrolls they came in. Yuupika feebly clutched his robes, still reeling with the pain inside of her, tears still rolling down her face. Pain whispered sweet comforts to her, kissing her crown and hair in the minutes that passed.

Yuu couldn't comprehend the time it or how long exactly it took to get everything together, because the next thing she knew, they were flying over the buildings again and the big gates of the north entrance were in sight. And although the wind was whipping back the clothes of their companions, Yuu noticed her father and her only felt cool air, no different than if they were standing still. She hadn't even noticed they were on their way until the scenery around them changed.

Predictably, but still no less surprising, as soon as they passed the gates, a whole platoon of shinobi darted out of the trees, forming a line of unsheathed weapons and bodies in front of them. Hovering off the ground as he was, Pain still stopped and stared down his nose at them, not bothering to even move his head. A familiar bandaged man stepped out the group, looking up towards him.

"Amekage." He said, leaning on his cane. "We would ask that you not leave Konoha just yet. We have yet to investigate the attack on your party."

Pain was silent for a few beats. "The safety of my party takes precedence over your investigation. It has become apparent that Konoha cannot guarantee it, and as such, we are leaving."

"That would not be wise." The ninja below tightened their holds on their weapons, bodies coiled in preparation.

"What can be considered 'wise' has been relatively unknown to you for quite some time. Even in light of recent events, I have not forgotten, _Kanzō_."

And even though she was protected from it, Yuupika still felt the power ( _the raw, dominating killing intent)_ he let radiate off of him brushing against her skin. The men on the ground froze completely – some even began to tremble.

"We are leaving."

Kakuzu and Sasori were raised up in the air by Pain's chakra. He did not wait for an answer, he simply took off again, their speed making the whole world blur around them.

"Papa…?" The girl called lowly. He looked down at her, where her head was cradled against his shoulder.

"Yes, princess?"

"…what's…going to happen to…"

He pressed her against him more securely, resting his chin on her head and rubbing her back. "We'll see when we get back to Kaa-san, Yuu-chan."

* * *

Yuupika had never felt a stronger calling than the one she felt towards her bed for the past few days. She just wanted to sleep. There was a dull ache in her bones, bearing down on her like someone had turned up the gravity without notice. It made getting up harder than it should have been.

But today was Juzo's funeral.

With great effort, the girl lifted herself from the sheets and trudged over to the bathroom to turn the control knobs and fill the tub with hot water. She bathed in rose and cinnamon scents, moisturized, and dressed in her funeral attire mechanically and slowly.

Yuu stared in the mirror.

Her reflection stared back at her.

It wasn't as if anything changed from one second to the next – nothing dramatic or movie-esque. She just kind of realized that there was a constant physical twist in her stomach, a dizzying pressure in her head, her throat was filled with cotton balls, her eyes nearly bursting out of her head with unshed tears. She was breathing as shallowly as possible because she was only that much away from gasping and sobbing.

The space around her felt empty – as if even the air had left her alone in her anguish.

And her knees were suddenly jelly, but slender arms caught her before she could hit the tile. Sasori, nose in her hair, held her tight. Tighter than she could ever remember, as he hoisted her back onto her feet and steadied her. He didn't let go because, as fate would have it, he was her date again.

His lips against her scalp, "We should go now."

She nodded marginally, flexing her muscles to give her extra support as Sasori stepped back slightly and secured her hand on his arm. She twined their fingers together. Yuu couldn't even imagine how he was feeling. Perhaps something like herself. They walked out of the room to a solemn looking Kakuzu outside, who stared at her, searching for something for a long time before they continued. One foot in front of the other, they made their way down the grey halls and to the base of the tower, where Orochimaru, her mother and father awaited them. No words, more walking along in the streets under the perpetually crying sky. Pain and Konan, hand in hand, led the group through the throngs of people all dressed in their funeral attire, heading towards the outlying lake that surrounded the country on three sides.

Waiting there was a pyre already properly dressed and her beloved brother lying upon it.

Yuupika almost lost her balance again, but Sasori quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her to his chest.

Dead. He really was dead. Konan had not looked at him for more than a minute before she had announced him with no hope for recovery. It felt like a sucker punch – her breath was just knocked out of her, there was a shock in her system like her nerves had stopped responding to her brain's commands. It felt like music dropping before the climax, it felt like floating without gravity, it felt like a gaping maw and anger and fire and overwhelming throbbing in her head, her pulse so strong that she could feel the rapid beating in her fingers, in her cheeks. She was so sure if she looked down, she wouldn't even have a body. The girl distantly observed the weeping faces of children, women, and men, and the heavy oppression in the air. The gathering was quick – everyone was sure to be prompt.

Pain glided out in front of the crowds, his back to the pyre.

"Citizens of Amegakure no Sato-"

Her heart in her ears, drowning him out. Sobbing resounding through the air. The smell of Sasori all around her, her nose crushed against his chest. Oh. That was her? That was her.

"-a friend to all of us, cherished-"

Peering through the tears on her lashes, she saw the intense trembling of her fingers, she felt the heavy hand of Kakuzu on her back, smelled the salty scent of the tiny drops falling down on her head, tucked under Sasori's chin. Her snot was sticky down her jaw, her gasping was ugly and desperate. Her puppeteer still smelled like sweat and cheer from morning workouts with her swordsman and she breathed like she had never sampled oxygen in her life – it still came out shallow and noisy.

"-served to the best of his ability, with all of his ability-"

Orochimaru slowly raised his hand and lightly rested it on her shoulder, something in his slitted eyes. His hair, drenched with rain, framed his angular face as he exerted just a bit more pressure on her, his touch more sure now, more comforting. Konan, standing in front of the crowd, looked back mournfully at them. It was clear that she wanted to be beside them, but even in such a time, she had to be by her ruler's side as second in command.

"-memories will stay with us always-"

Yuupika traced the lines of her brother's face with her senchakra, memorizing them with agonizing care. She caressed the jagged line over his throat, images of his horror-stricken expression in her mind.

 _Come back, please. Please. Please. Without you, I am not me._

Yuu was so tired. She was so, so tired.

 _I don't know how to handle this, I don't…_

 _Juzo…_

"-great warrior of our country. And so, as all are, he shall be reunited with the dust."

Pain turned and Yuupika lost all feeling in her limbs. His lips parted and let out a stream of blinding fire, so potent and hot that the girl could feel the warmth. The wood was immediately set ablaze and the flames licked hungrily at them. It was familiar, inviting aroma mixed with something truly putrid as flesh was taken up and charred.

 _Juzo. Juzo. Juzo. Juzo, please. Juzo, please come home. Juzo, please just..._

Was her mother's death ever this painful? She remembered being little Ro again, holding the cooling hand of that lovely woman, teeth clacking together with the force of her shaking as the monitor flatlined. Two and a half decades could never have prepared her. She was never ready, even though she wanted an end to the suffering she felt just watching her mother slowly waste away. This time, it had come too soon. Death had been too final, too quick, too callous. Juzo's hand on her face, slick with blood, teeth stained in odd ways as he smiled at her. The absence around him, the cold body – she was no stranger to it, she was no stranger at all. She killed children, little children screaming (in pain? terror?), seen a man have a hole punched through his chest, petrified a chūnin whole and blown his head up into slimy chunks and pieces on her forehead and in her hair –

 _But Juzo._

 _Juzo._

 _Don't. Don't. Don't leave me, don't ever leave me,_ _please_ _…_

Almost four decades of life experience and none of it could have ever prepared her. She just wanted to go home, home where the kitchen was and she had flour in her hair and Kakuzu was throwing knives and Juzo was laughing like he couldn't stop, and they ate cookies and talked over dinner and his fingers were tickling her sides and he was kissing her cheek and who would ever call her their ' _Yuu-koi_ ' again and dance with her at the Festival of Tears and –

She was a mess in the arms of her loved ones. The crowds stayed, they all stayed until the last ember flickered out and the wind had swept up every particle of ash. Even then, they left slowly, dragging their feet through the mud, eyes downcast, not a single word spoken. When they were the last ones standing in the clearing, Pain and Konan rejoined them.

"Oh, baby…" Her mother coaxed her out of Sasori's hold and picked her up. Yuu clung to her like a Koala, no longer sobbing like before, but still shaking with sorrow. The woman rubbed her back with slender hands like only a mother could. Yuupika found that she was exhausted – a usual within the past week. She felt boneless. Her grip slackened. The vibrations of stepping and sway of womanly hips as Konan walked felt like rocking.

She slept.

* * *

 _"_ _Hey, little Ro."_

 _She turned, a smile like a thousand watts spreading her cheeks when she saw the brown hair and warm eyes._

 _"_ _Daddy!"_

 _He laughed and picked her up in his arms when she ran to him. "Ah, look at you! You get bigger every time I see you!"_

 _"I'm a big girl, ya know!" She declared._

 _He laughed again and kissed her cheek. "Of course, baby. Daddy missed you so much! Love you, love you, love you! Mwah! Mwah!" Rosse giggled with his antics, pushing on his chest half-heartedly with her tiny, nine-year-old hands. He sang, "She is my baby! My baby, Rosse! She can count to three! She knows her alphabet to 'c'!"_

 _"_ _Nu-uh!" Was the girl's vehement denial. "I know my whole alphabet! And I can do my times tables! And my fractions and my division!"_

 _"_ _Oh, can ya now?" He teased._

 _"_ _Uh-huh! And you," She jabbed his broad chest. "were supposed to bring me something! Where is it?"_

 _"_ _Okay, okay! No need to get defensive, little lady! I got it riiiiight here." He put her down on her bed and faced around to the bag he had dropped on the floor on his way in. The man knelt, opened the zipper and pulled out a small board. He pivoted with a grin. "Let's see if you can get this, little Ro! Know what it is?"_

 _"_ _Um…" She studied the depictions and the unfamiliar terms. "No…?"_

 _"_ _Mmkay, fair game. This is called the Periodic Table of Elements."_

 _"_ _The…Periodic Table of Elements?" She tested. What on earth was that?_

 _"_ _That's is correcto~!" He sat down on the bed beside her with it, placing the board into her hands. "Now, I know you're real smart, but this might take even you a while!" A fire lit inside of her at his words. Was that a challenge? Oh, most definitely._

 _She had memorized and understood each element and their uses by the end of the summer. Just in time for school. Also in time for her dad to go away again. She stared up at him with sorrowful eyes._

 _"_ _Daddy? Why do you have to go? When are you coming back?"_

 _He sighed and cradled her face with a hand affectionately. "Six months? I don't know, Ro, my deployment time is never solid…"_

 _"_ _Honey!" Her mother scolded behind her._

 _"_ _Don't worry." He waved her off. "She's a big girl. She understands. Isn't that right, Ro?"_

 _There were no tears in her eyes. She swore so. She swore it up and down and all the way to the moon. "Yeah, I'm a big girl."_

 _He smiled. "Think of it like this – to get from Point A to Point B at the park, you've gotta walk. To walk, your brain has to send signals to your legs. You can't do one thing without doing the other. They're all necessary to reach the end goal. I'm trying to reach an end goal too, so I have to go away for a little. Make sense?" She didn't completely get how that related to their situation…but she nodded anyway, her uncertainty shining through. What could be so important that her dad would leave them so much? The man sighed again. "I'm sorry, honey. Someday, you'll understand better. Some things are just necessary, ya know? There are some things you just need to do."_

* * *

" **He will be here soon.** "

"I know."

He left her.

* * *

If Yuu could describe time...she would say it was like the liquid in a cracked bottle. In the beginning, the bottle is full, and you don't notice the drain very much because it is so gradual. But, turn away for thirty minutes, and the difference will be noticeable. The bottle will be half empty! That is because the liquid slips away slowly, with no sound or announcement, leaving your notice until a significant amount is beyond recovery. Even if the house is burning down, the substance will continue to leak out of the bottle - even if it has to go in steam. It just goes ever on, in spite of everything happening around it.

If Yuu were to describe love, she would say that it was a well pouring water into a bottle. The well will pour ever on - but if the bottle is cracked, then the water the well provides will leak out of it. And if the cracks spread, turn into holes, eventually the water will just pass through the bottle without ever filling it up.

So, if a well is pouring water into a crackled bottle inside of a burning house, where the intense heat cracks and melts the glass that the bottle is made from...

What will happen? What is the eventuality?

 _What will become of me?_

* * *

 _..._

 _But time makes the memories fade into dreams..._

 _They are blurry and bittersweet in my head._

 _They won't ever be the same again._

 _..._

* * *

"Papa?" Yuu knocked on his office door, her voice carrying through.

"Come in."

There he was, hunched over piles of paperwork with faint traces of despair in his orbs. There was love and relief when he saw her. "Yuupika." He said, standing to his feet. He moved towards her and met her halfway into the room. "How are you?"

She shrugged as he kneeled down, ignoring the sudden urge inside of her to cry. "I'm okay." He rubbed her arms comfortingly. "How 'bout you?"

Pain smiled, and she couldn't imagine the heartless monster of black and white pages. "I'm fine. What did you come here for, Yuu-chan?"

"Um…I just wanted to know if you had a chance to talk with…um…" She trailed off when her father's face twisted minutely. The girl could understand that reaction, though. Pain was probably feeling very betrayed concerning the whole incident.

"…I did." He answered after a small period of silence.

Well, that was a relief. She felt some tension in her shoulders ease. At least she shouldn't have to push him to reach out again. It would have been an impossible task. "So, did you get the information you needed, or…?"

He nodded. It was another relief and a mustard seed of hope for normalcy. "So, does that mean we can start experimenting soon?"

"Perhaps," He said. "I still have to study the scrolls I have and devise the proper seal." He hummed. "We will probably also have to visit the ruins Uzushio."

"Really?" The girl brightened and Pain's Rinnegan eyes softened.

"Do you want to go so badly?"

"Yes! Of course! Yes!" Yuu exclaimed. "It's where we're from, right?"

He nodded, his lips twitching at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it is."

She bobbed her head up and down. "Nice. Nice!" It was something to look forward to – a vacation in earnest. A time to rest away from responsibility and memory. "When will we go?"

"On our way back from Kumo, most likely." Pain told her, picking her up and walking back around towards his desk. _So...after our trip is over?_ They sat down on his large, leather chair, Yuu in Pain's lap. The girl idly though she might have forgotten what a real chair felt like – she just sat in so many laps. _Ah._ Cue internal wince. _That doesn't really sound right._

"Mm…okay." _It's a surprise, but it can fit into my plans…in fact, it would most certainly be optimal for…_ She paused. _Oh._ "…Tou-san?" He glanced at her.

"Hm?"

 _How should I break this to him?_ "So, um…we've gotta talk really quickly about, um…this thing with the Uchiha…"

* * *

Yuupika spent a lot of time with Sasori. She knew he was hurting just like she was, so she clung to him like a lifeline. He didn't mind. And if he did, he never said. She temporarily moved into his room (which bothered Pain to no end), and slept next to him like she would sleep next to Obito. She touched him whenever she could, just little brushes most times, but others by way of bear hugs and sitting on his lap watching him titter with his puppets. She brought him along to cook with Kakuzu – and Kami, did they cook a lot. The kitchen didn't feel anymore empty than it already did, but there was an uncomfortable itch in her brain like she had forgotten to put on the other shoe before walking out the door. There was something missing, but they were working on it. Orochimaru joined them too. The four of them baked more treats than she could name, played around with flavors, invented new kinds of stew and noodles, experimented with all types of dishes that most times, didn't even make any sense. Who would eat onigiri with Mexican beans? Them. They would. Just because. It didn't matter.

It was decidedly disgusting, but no one cared much for the little details.

The street went both ways, anyhow, which Orochimaru took much pleasure in. He coached Sasori and Kakuzu in the intricacies of general science and chemistry, which was much easier for the puppeteer than her lovable miser. Being an expert in one of the subjects already, Sasori was able to move on to more advanced teachings that Yuu had the privilege of instructing him with. Kakuzu, who knew only basic explosion and corrosion formulas common among shinobi, moved at a much slower pace. The girl got the feeling that he only memorized them out of necessity, as well. She'd give him credit though, learning about a subject so in depth without much prior foreknowledge was very hard. And he was excellent with math, so that helped.

Yuu still kind of pitied Orochimaru, though. He didn't have the same patience and understanding as her.

The four of them spent more time with Ame's shinobi as well. Yuu was finally introduced to their active forces and the soldiers in training, and she regretted ever staying away. A a statue in Juzo's likeness was built up in the front of the entrance to the lower levels of the tower, that was always adorned with gifts and little trinkets and flowers. There was an envelope with a letter placed there bi-weekly – which Yuu learned was from a woman named Hana, who had been Juzo's almost girlfriend. She was a civilian, a chef in the cafeteria, who was just getting serious with the swordsman before he died. Despite her namesake, though, she was quite plain, as stubborn as a mule with a flip-switch temper, and perpetually sporting scowl on her face that could freeze veterans. Amazing, Yuu thought when she first saw her. Juzo had odd taste.

It was hard on everyone.

Almost two months passed like that and Yuu felt she was better for it. So when Pain announced their plans to resume travel, she didn't complain. Maybe it would be good for them.

" **Sister, what is that**?"

Ah. She hadn't heard from this one much lately. The girl sighed as she braided her hair, her eyes lingering on the small shrine beside her vanity for a little longer before moving over to him. Debilitating chakra was built up inside of her, ready to overflow. "You know what it is. I'm honoring his memory."

Black Zetsu stared at the thing in an almost incomprehension.

" **But it was necessary**."

Yuu slowed in her movements. "…yes. It was necessary."


	24. Onward

A/N: Yo!

I'm back! Sorry for the wait! If you forgot what was going down, you should quickly refresh your memory with the last chapter. Also...

Over 50% of you want Yuu-chan to hook up with Itachi! What's up with that? Poor Neji needs some love too! And what about all the other handsome men in the series? Ah well, romance doesn't happen until the second part of the story. There's still lots of time for any other ships to set sail. Just PM me or leave a review stating who you want Yuu to be with! I'll put up the numbers in my bio later so everyone can keep track with me. Love you all. Thanks for your support and patience.

Now, onward with the story!

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, but what if I went back in time, clonked Kishimoto over the head, and assumed control of the series? Hehehe...

* * *

She didn't like him. Not one bit.

The boy in front of her pushed up his glasses slowly, observing her with a critical eye. She did the same behind her blindfold.

"Come now, children," Orochimaru drawled, strolling by them. "You can get acquainted later. We have much to do."

Kabuto narrowed his gaze. "…who taught you?"

She held her head a bit higher. "I taught myself," she told him, haughtily.

He glared at her for another few seconds before turning and following after his master. She did the same and fell into tense step with him, much to the exasperation of the snake.

"Are you two quite done?" He quipped, glancing over his shoulder. Kabuto straightened immediately.

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama." But his eyes said otherwise.

Yuu hummed her half-hearted agreement. They walked in silence the rest of the way to the lab, not even footsteps making a whisper. She took the time to look at him again, with a more calculating gleam – Kabuto was a thin young man, a few years older than her, his shoulders just barely wider than his hips. It gave him a rather odd appearance, like a preteen who shot up like a beanstalk and refused to grow any other way. In fact, she mused, that was exactly what happened. She slightly resented how short she was, even after everyone else had grown, especially now when she felt like she needed to be superior in all ways to this…jerk. Kabuto was shrewd, distrusting, paranoid, arrogant – yet still cautious. He walked that fine line well and she hated him for it. She could see it in his eyes, he wanted to delve deeper, closer and take her apart one piece at a time. Not in any good way either. Simply because she was close to his master, smart, and (admittedly) much too young to be so. To her chagrin, he was actually right to feel that way…

"Kabuto, I've stocked the far wall with medical texts. Go study. Yuupika, we will pick up where we left off yesterday."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said – he obviously didn't like being dismissed like that by the way he bristled, but still was obedient. Yuu smirked as she passed him, causing the boy to twitch and clench a fist briefly before retreating to do as he was told.

"Now, Yuu-chan." Orochimaru began as they accosted the table sporting a variety of different microscopes. "Combing this DNA strand with…"

The lesson was engaging and informative as always. Yuu always liked learning under the sannin, he was thorough and strict, incredibly fast-paced, yet never moved on from a topic until she fully understood it. She appreciated that more than he'd probably ever know. Two hours flew by before he abruptly changed the subject.

"Is there a reason why you haven't been completely dedicated to your studies for the past thirty minutes?" The snake asked as he slowly turned to Kabuto. The boy stiffened for a moment before standing and walking over.

"Orochimaru-sama…are you positive this girl isn't a spy?" _What the hell?_ The man raised an eyebrow, seemingly thinking the same thing as her and waiting for the other to elaborate. Kabuto rubbed his wrist, but there was a steely glint in his expression. "She is too young to have these…years of experience. Who taught her? Where did she come from?"

"Kabuto," Orochimaru frowned. "Yuupika was very diligent regarding her studies from a very young age. Isn't that right?" He turned to her and Yuu nodded. It was true, after all. In her first life, she had been engrossed in academics from the time she had been introduced to math and to the time of her death…speaking of – how did that happen? Why couldn't she ever remember…

"But-"

"It's true," A new voice interjected and Yuu spread her senjutsu to see Konan strutting in with cookies on a plate. Everyone turned towards her. "Yuu-chan somehow got access to her father's library very early on. She also liked to read at the orphanage she was in before she came here." Okay,…that wasn't true. What was Konan saying? "The matron there was a retired scholar. She had many books in Braille in her office detailing her knowledge. And as soon as she could use senjutsu, Yuu found her father's library." The woman set the plate down, sighing wistfully. "I'll never forget the day we found the entrance open!" _The hell? I didn't do that._ "And knowing Yuu-chan, she would probably keep going no matter what – so, we left it open after that. And Kakuzu, of course probably tutored her further, as we _did_ put him in charge of her safety, and they _do_ spend a great deal of time together."

Yuu blinked. _Is she lying or am I just insanely lucky? Has my intelligence been chalked up to a series of convenient coincidences? What is this? Is fate covering for me?_ Feeling the sudden urge, the girl rested her head in her hands. _What is going on?_

"Isn't that right, Yuu-chan?" Konan regarded her with warmth, sincerity, and humor. She decided then that the woman probably wasn't joking. So…who the hell had broken into Pain's personal library? "That's right, Kaa-san," she spoke, looking up after a moment. "I was a genius with all the resources to supplement me. What did you think, Kabuto-kun?"

He narrowed his eyes. "It is still…unnatural."

"Nearly nothing pertaining to geniuses is ever natural. I was the same at her age. Are you, perhaps, jealous?" Orochimaru asked, unimpressed. Konan gave her a quick kiss on the crown before striding out as the boy in front of her flushed.

"No, Orochimaru-sama, not at all, but-"

"I'll have none of it," The snake cut him off harshly. "Return to your studies and be useful, boy."

He tensed once again, another withering glance sent in her direction, before he bowed and walked back over to his books. Yuu couldn't really find it in herself to care at the moment. She was still reeling from the information she received. _Retired scholar? Library? Years of study? What…coincidences…it's too convenient…_

 _But then again, how else would they rationalize my actions? I haven't been exactly 'subtle'… in fact, I totally disregarded how anyone would react in the first place. That probably wasn't smart. No, it wasn't smart at all. I was too caught up in my ambition to truly consider…_ She carded her fingers through her hair. _Yet, I'm still very disturbed. If not for these convenient coincidences, what would have become of me?_

Yuu shivered.

 _I…shouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth…yeah…_

* * *

"What's wrong with it?"

Kakuzu looked sideways at her for a long moment. "…no."

"I swear it's gonna be the new style, 'Kuzu-chan. And then you'll be sorry."

"I never cared about fashion."

"C'mmoooonnnn," Yuu whined, pulling on his shirt. He crossed his arms. "Just try it! You'll look great!"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation – but they both knew that he couldn't resist her for long. She beamed brightly (and maybe just a bit smugly) when he reached forward and grabbed the article off the bed. "Turn around," He edgily commanded and Yuu obeyed all too readily, excited beyond what her miser could probably imagine. A few moments went by of soft shuffling and a surprised grunt before he tapped her on the shoulder.

The girl turned and – _is that a blush?_ There Kakuzu stood, arms crossed once more, in good ole' denim jeans, chakra swirling madly in his face. She just barely could contain a giggle. Yuu squealed though. She squealed quite happily as Kakuzu winced.

"You look great!" She exclaimed, stepping closer to examine him. The man made a withering noise, his legs shifting closer together to instinctively try and make himself smaller. So _perhaps_ she had made the thing a tad too small.

And there was a noticeable bulge that she did not anticipate.

Yuu could understand his embarrassment. He still looked great, though. She told him just that, again.

"This is ridiculous." He spat, eyeing the jeans in contempt, then looking skeptically back at her. "Though your judgment is rarely faulty, I'm almost sure this type of… _clothing_ will _not_ be the next fashion trend."

"You'd be surprised~" The kunoichi sang, a finger raised in the air. "I think we'll make _quite_ the profit off of this."

Kakuzu just scoffed. "Waste of resources."

Yuu hummed off the comment and turned to her closet, searching it from afar. "Anywho, what should _I_ wear today?" _Blue? Green? Red? Purple? Pink? Maybe pink. Like a pastel, matte. Yes, that'll do. Something rather comfortable, preferably thigh-length so I can move around unhindered. Must be a cotton or polyester blend, something light that I wouldn't mind a little sullying…ah! These two._ The girl strode into her closet and then back out with the dresses held out in front of her. "Which one?" She asked Kakuzu with a thoughtful frown. The miser scrutinized each quickly before pointing to the one on her left.

"That one is slightly more appropriate for Suna climate and culture."

Yuu paused for a moment. _Suna? …oh, right. He doesn't know._ She smiled at him anyway. "Of course, 'Kuzu-chan."

"Hmph." He crossed his arms in a pleased manner, nodding a little as he left the room to give her privacy. As the door clicked shut behind him, Yuu was already stripping herself of her bathrobe, content in the pleasant jasmine aroma wafting off of her skin. Hair and makeup already took care of, she happily slipped into the dress and zipped it up with a tendril of nature chakra. She fluffed her tresses a little, posed in the mirror for a moment, then left her little solace. Sasori was already waiting outside.

"You're dashing today," Yuu spoke superfluously, with a playful flutter of her lashes.

"I may have combed my hair," Sasori admitted, a small smirk adorning his lips and a hand outstretched. She giggled and took it, letting him lead her down halls long memorized. "Are you well prepared for the dry heat at our destination?"

"I think so. I packed extra moisturizers. We'll have to stop by Kusa though to restock in a month or so." _Sooner than you think, actually._

"We're passing by there anyway." They traversed the stairs with chakra enhanced steps.

"Yes. I both dread and look forward to that visit." Yuu shivered at the thought of appointing new government officials and worse… _seeing old acquaintances._ Another shiver, this time more bodily than the last.

"Is it too chilly for you?" Sasori asked with a concerned note in his voice. He was already halfway through taking off his jacket.

The girl hastily held up a halting hand. "No! I'm fine." She laughed briefly. "I'm fine, really." Sasori eyed her as he slowly shrugged the covering back on.

"I suppose."

Yuu blew a puff of air through her nose, a crooked smile on her lips and a shapely brow raised. "You're too cute, Sasori-nii." He flushed slightly at that, facing away with a pout.

"I am a man, you know. Men aren't _cute_."

"Except for my Sasori-nii." She chirped, nuzzling his arm.

"Perhaps such an assessment can also be attributed to your stumped height," Orochimaru commented lackadaisically as they approached back entrance of the tower, descending the final landing. Sasori glared lightly at the man.

"C'mon, Oji-maru, that's just foul." She laughed. The man rolled his eyes.

It was going to be an interesting journey, for sure.

* * *

She was sitting alone with him in her personal carriage.

"- **and so, the central island is safest to inhabit.** "

Yuu hummed, watching the world slowly roll by from her window. It was partially covered to hide her companion from prying eyes. "Begin excavation of materials, then. I want a group of Zetsus in a mine at all times and another mapping the surrounding areas, including the ocean. Divide the two groups further with specialized designations and tasks."

" **And the indigenous people**?"

She waved him off. "White Zetsus. How is our new base coming along?"

" **For Akatsuki**?" Yuu could see the sands of Suna cresting the horizon.

"No. For the Ashita Plan."

The creature shifted in his seat, glowing eyes flitting towards the window. " **There is news**." The girl finally turned her face towards him in interest, repositioning her body to seem relaxed. She had tensed while they were speaking – she still was. " **The Kazekage has been assassinated and his two eldest children gravely injured**."

A thrill reached her spine like smoke wisping in cold air, her heart thudding loudly for a beat. "And what of the youngest?"

Black Zetsu told her, " **His location is unknown to the public. It is suspected that the jinchūriki was kidnapped.** "

Yuupika hummed again, thoughtfully this time. Their carriages stopped. "Meet back with me later." She said as she observed her father exiting his cabin. He made a beeline towards hers. Black Zetsu nodded and melted swiftly into the ground. Seconds later, her door was opened.

"Yuupika-chan?" Pain's Rinnegan eyes found her right away and he sighed. "Yuupika," He repeated with relief as he slipped inside.

"Yes, Papa?" The kunoichi turned fully to him as he sat down and sighed.

"Unfortunately, we will not be going to Suna no Kuni. The country has entered a state of emergency and has therefore closed their borders."

"What?!" She feigned surprise. _Sorry, Tou-san._ "Why?"

"Zetsu will find out soon. We're changing our course to visit Kusa early. A hawk has already been sent to alert them." Pain gazed sympathetically at her. "Sorry, princess. We'll visit Suna some other time."

The girl pursed her lips in disappointment. "It's fine, I guess…I just really wasn't looking forward to attending the situation in Grass…"

Pain's lips quirked upwards, humor in his eyes. "I'm sure you'll handle it fine. We set off in five minutes." She groaned as he kissed her forehead with a chuckle before leaving. _Well,_ she thought to herself, _I can finally start drawing up plans for Kusa without looking suspicious. I should get to reviewing the available politicians to appoint, first and foremost. I really should have done that sooner…well, maybe I can improve my outline for the new education system instead? Yes, that sounds much better. And afterward, I'll brainstorm strategies to slowly mix elements of Ame's culture with Kusa's and invoke patriotism. Good. Very good._

She was just beginning to pull out her notebook and pen when there was another knock at her door. Yuu sighed. "Come in."

Orochimaru, regal as ever, hoisted himself inside and promptly planted himself across from her. He wasted no time with formalities, "This is an appropriate time to speak more on our latest subject of research, yes? Very well." The girl slowly lowered the writing utensils in her hands, resigning herself to hours to debate. _Not exactly what I had in mind – but better than dealing with politics, at least._ "I've invested much effort into exploring exactly why our initial attempts to create a solis failed, as you know, and from that research, I do believe I've discovered something quite fascinating."

Yuupika raised a brow. "Oh?" She inquired, "And what is that?"

The man elegantly fetched a notebook from the folds of his robes. He flipped through some pages with a long finger, then handed it to her. "According to my calculations, in order to create a distortion of the likes of which we saw, there must be an overwhelming force pulling and twisting the fabrics of space and time. I've foremost identified this force as gravity. After making that discovery, I concluded that the only way such a thing was possible was if space and time were one continuum working in tandem. As you can see three pages over, half-way down, I've broken down the Fourth Hokage's Hiraishin with that conclusion, contributing his supposed speed to an actual distortion of the continuum, using his central mass of gravity to create a small hole in which he is shrunk down and pulled through to appear in an entirely different location almost instantaneously. Although he did not know it, dunce, that he was, what he accomplished with seals was a breakthrough in science. He proved a theory of mine that by using a force of gravity, you can alter the universe around you. If you flip back a page, you'll see that I am far from finished with further calculations, but I believe with more research and your help, we can learn more."

 _Oh, Kami-sama._ _He's on his way to recreating the Theory of Relativity._ Yuu licked her dry lips and swallowed down a dry throat. _How smart is this man? He's more of genius than I am…_

Composing herself, Yuu smiled at Orochimaru. _I can't sway him from this, so I'll just have to gently lead him astray._ "This is really amazing, Oji-maru. I'm all for it. Although, I do have some more questions about this theory right here, right underneath the one about the effect of human mass on the planet…"

* * *

"Yuu? Yuupika-chan, wake up."

The girl slowly peeled her eyes open to the darkness, a reflex that would probably never leave her, and activated her technique. Orochimaru was looking down at her from above, and she came to realize quickly that her head had somehow ended up in his lap. How? _Well, maybe there was a bump in the road somewhere…_ She was quite tired when they finished discussing Kusa's revamped education system. She was half asleep when they were handpicking people to fill in government roles – and somehow, she wasn't bothered by that. Yuu yawned unexpectedly then, halting her line of thought.

"Mm? What is it?" She murmured, still comfortably lying on him.

"We have almost arrived at our destination." He said, glancing out the window with a critical eye. Yuu extended her range to see fields of grass. Ten hours? Had she slept for ten hours? The journey was supposed to be some 18-20 depending on how fast they went along and they had already gone through a good seven or so just working and talking. _So we're arriving early? Huh._

She lifted herself into a sitting position, dispelling a small bout of dizziness by steadying herself on the side of the cabin. "How long?"

"Thirty minutes, at most."

Yuu hummed in acknowledgment. "'Kay. I look okay, right?"

Orochimaru gave her a quick once-over. "Perhaps a tad informal, but otherwise, yes."

She shrugged. _Nothing I don't already know._ "That's fine. Our business today won't take long anyway."

"Fair enough."

And of course, the sannin was right. They arrived shortly, to a bustling city and a crowd of excited onlookers and Yuu greeted them all with a dashing smile and a polite wave – just as a princess would. Her carriage windows were open, letting the breeze come through and cool her cheeks. She was familiar with some of the people around them – recognized the lines on their faces from duller, darker days in both their lives and hers. Radiance wafted off of them now. Yuu wondered if they ever reflected on the past.

 _Probably not._

Although she had seen the layout on paper, it was much different to see the city in person, to have her senjutsu blanketed over it and every detail. Much more developed and sophisticated than she thought it would be, though she did help redesign it. Yuu had modeled the city partially after Paris, with a hint of Japanese influence to keep it somewhat familiar to the people and therefore a bit more like home. In the distance, scaffolding was just barely peeking up over the buildings, hinting at more progress. Konan said it would be colorful, bright, majestic, though the woman didn't totally approve of the architecture. But that was fine. Foreign things were always looked upon strangely at first, but people grew into them eventually. To the average individual, it didn't take long for a foreign place to start to feel like home.

Yuupika let out a happy sigh.

"These peasants are too close," Orochimaru commented with disdain in his voice and Yuu sighed again, with more exasperation this time.

"They're regular people just like you and me, shishou." She said, glancing sideways at his displeased face.

"Regular?" He scoffed, flipping his hair quite femininely over his shoulder. The girl raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth quirking. "If you so insist, Yuu-chan."

She hummed as the carriage came to a stop outside a grand building. "Well, you know what I mean." Orochimaru got out first, looking wholly unphased by the cheering of the crowds. Yuu waited in the shadows of the cabin until Pain appeared outside, his hand stretching in and waiting on hers. The girl happily took it, and with as much grace as Konan taught her to hold herself with, exited. Roars of approval at her appearance. She shivered. _They worship me._

Pain secured her hand on his forearm, lean muscle prominent beneath the royal robes, and led her up the wide steps and to the large metal doors. They swung open, two servants on either side with their heads bowed in submission to let their party through. It was wonderful to feel the air move around her without any bodies obstructing it as they walked free of form into the main hall. A few more hallways and through a door waited a room of people, much older than her and dressed formally for the occasion.

They rose and bowed and stayed in such a position until she and Pain had been seated. Sasori, Kakuzu, and Orochimaru stood like statues behind them, covering the long windows that let rays of sunlight in.

"Ame-hime, we have long awaited your arrival." The woman to her left said, speaking first. Yuu subtly readjusted herself in her chair at the head of the table. It almost felt odd to be in this position, since Pain was usually in it – but it was her country after all. He was already having a tough time running his own (Kami help him).

"I've long planned this visit," Yuu responded, observing one of the younger men at the end of the table as he plainly studied the senjutsu markings on her face. She rarely let them show anymore, so she could understand his blatant curiosity. Similarly, she saw a few of the older generation look upon her with eyes of well-hidden distaste. _But that will be taken care of_. The girl reached back languidly and the folder her and Orochimaru had packed with plans was placed in it immediately. Yuupika slanted her golden eyes downward as she opened it, neat script gracing her vision. "But I didn't come for small talk. We have much to speak of."

"Of course."

* * *

"That was quite an impressive performance, Yuu-chan."

The girl looked over at her father with a smile already spreading across her lips. "Thanks, Tou-san." His hand was on her back comfortingly as they strode out of the building many hours later. A ninja with a humorous, lazy smirk and a shine to his eyes was escorting them to the palace, where the daimyo had recently been flushed out. It was in the heart of the city, styled suspiciously Russian, and Yuu didn't really have the heart to destroy such beautiful architecture. So, she decided it would be made into a museum…after she got to spend a few nights in it because, c'mon, everyone wanted to be laid up in a palace at least once and she was a princess anyway, so it was fitting, right? _Totally._

And oh, it was as beautiful inside as it was outside. The curves, the arches, the murals, the tapestry, the design, it was so lovely. The girl sighed in contentment just mapping out the place. The head butler led them to their rooms and the rest of the night was spent relaxing, Yuu curled up next to Orochimaru on the couch in her room by the light of the fireplace, conversing in low tones about the day, wishing for some hot chocolate. He was relaxed in her presence, relaxed with his arm around her and not minding that her shoulder was kind of digging into his ribs. Yuu shifted only when her feet began to fall asleep and only a little. She was afraid she would break the moment if she moved too much or she would jar him into realizing that they were being affectionate with each other and that just didn't happen.

Ah, well. Maybe it was his happiness from finally getting out of the base and ever-rainy Ame for something besides business and getting to enjoy a friendly, easy-going atmosphere and the admiration of the people around him. It had probably been a long while since anyone who didn't truly know him looked at him with anything other than anger, distrust, and distaste. Here in Kusa, people actually revered him and his intellectual prowess without even knowing exactly what he looked like. It must feel good for him to be welcomed on the streets, smiled at, and given well-wishes.

Though there was a small lull in their conversation and Yuu had to wonder if she was just over-romanticizing him. Did Orochimaru even care about that stuff anymore? He was so far gone…he had done so much and had accepted, not even cared that he would never receive forgiveness from a single person in his homeland. He didn't want it.

And exactly what kind of man did that make him?

* * *

"I'm gonna train today. I've already entrusted Orochimaru with the proceedings of yesterday's meeting," She told her father when she walked into the dining hall. He was sitting at the head of the ornate table, sipping his coffee and reading the paper that Konan sent him every week from Ame. It was so endearing how much he cared about staying in touch with his country.

His Rinnegan eyes flicked up to her and took in the training gear she was all decked out in. "Be safe," He said after a pause, indirectly giving his blessing. Yuupika smiled and trodded over to him, pecking his cheek in thanks.

"Love you!" She chirped as she sat down next to him, a servant standing with their back as straight as the wall rushing over with a plate of food. Yuupika nodded in acknowledgment and he retreated to his spot with a bow. Then she raised an elegant brow in pleasant surprise at the fluffy pancakes and sausage before her. _Did he order breakfast for everyone then? Ah, and this is just the taste I was craving. Its exactly what I need for today, although lacking a tad in the protein department._ Yuu hummed excitedly as she drizzled syrup all over the delicious specimens. _Why does Nagato have to be so adorable?_ The kunoichi dug in with gusto.

Pain watched with amusement in his gaze as he picked up the small pencil beside him, scribbling something in his crossword. _Why does he love those so much?_ The rest of the crew arrived mostly at the same time about when she was half done with her meal and the three identical looks of exasperation gave her quite a laugh. She was eating like Juzo, she knew, but who cared?

Sasori went out of his way to request a bento specifically how she liked it, though the girl knew that she probably would forget all about it. "Thank you, Sasori-nii." She told him, and the resigned flash across his features let the girl know that he probably knew how unlikely it was for her to eat it. The man just grunted, disheveled hair making him look more like he belonged in a brothel than in a group of highly-trained killers – or softies. They could be both, she wouldn't get picky.

With a few well wishes, she was off. Chakra augmented her strength and speed over the buildings and soon, she was flying over grassy fields, twisting and rolling in the air as she jumped high and long like an acrobat. It took her barely any time at all to reach her destination at the impossible pace she had gone.

There was no one for miles and miles. She checked. And checked again.

That was good. Good, good, good. She needed the privacy now more than ever since what she was about to do was tied in heavily with her own plans, the ones that not a single soul knew of. These were plans she guarded jealously, carefully, vigilantly in a little leather book, stained black. Yuupika took in a sharp breath, sitting down on a particularly large root of an exponentially larger tree. She felt it react to her presence, to the nature chakra thrumming inside her and caressing all her coils, and the tree hummed pleasantly. It aligned with her own lovely tune of chakra and brightened, leaves greening in prime and bark glowing healthily when she gave it wisps of her yang-infused energy. The flowers on the floor leaned towards her, catching it wafting subtly off of her, and preened beautifully. Yuu felt a little ache that she didn't know was there be fulfilled and fade away. She missed the forest, perhaps more than she thought she would, considering her less than pleasant experience with it before. Here, she was one with the world, in a very literal sense. Yuu merged her chakra with the tree and became it.

She sank into the bark, and then farther underground – deep into a warm cavern with no light and the roar of rushing water. The girl took a momemt to familiarize herself with the space, using her senjutsu and the extent of all her heightened senses to map out the expanse of the caverns around her…and it stretched so, so far…

Yuu shook her head of her musings. There was time for those later when she brought Zetsu with her to scope the caverns. At that moment though, she had something else to think about. She brought her hands up to her chest, a long line of seals beginning with the twitch of her fingers. Seconds flew by and she slammed her hands into the dirt, pouring chakra into the technique. It didn't take a lot out of her, as she was getting more efficient with using nature energy by the day, which greatly pleased her. The earth let out a shudder all around her that spread out like a wave and a mile in either direction, the earth came down like a dam to stop the flow of water. All at once, it became silent. Using more chakra and another jutsu, Yuu redirected the current by making large troughs for it to rush through. The underground river spread across the country in two different directions.

It took her utmost concentration and more channeling of chakra than she had ever done before. And still, when she all but collapsed in exhaustion a couple hours later, she hadn't even made it a fifth of the way to her destination. Yuupika shakily reached into the pack strapped to her thigh and retrieved two chakra pills. She ushered them into her mouth and swallowed them dry. Moments later, there was a surge of growth in her reserves and she gasped in relief. Yuu dipped into her pouch again and came up with a chakra regeneration pill, which she chewed until it dissolved in her mouth with a bland taste. Good. That should help her last longer this time, and curb the extent of exhaustion she felt after she could go no longer.

The girl took a deep breath and started again. It felt like pushing a boulder that was several times her height and weight, with no chakra to back her up. Moving the earth to such a large scale like this, so far away from her physical body, and so much of it…it was so very taxing.

But Yuupika could do it. She knew she could.

This time she made it a third of the way more. Her body shuddered before her knees gave out and her arms weren't nearly fast enough to reach out and break her fall. She hit the ground with her face smashing into the dirt and her arms crushed awkwardly under her. There was a light, empty feeling in her chest, and a bonelessness throughout her whole body. She was nauseous. Her stomach clenched but Yuu would not heave. Her head was pounding, though there was a painful pressure behind her eyes that the girl was sure would have blurred her sight if she could see with them. More worrying than any of that was the way her heart fluttered irregularly. Maybe she had pushed a little too far?

 _No. Nonsense._

"Ugh…" Yuupika groaned, her throat tight. At least she did feel a little better than last time. She mentally cursed her abysmal reserves. She shifted just so that a hand could make out from the slumped heap of her body and grasp onto another set of chakra restoration pills and chakra regenerators. The kunoichi probably should have prepared a little better, maybe bullied her father into making her a chakra storage seal or something, just so she wouldn't have to do something so unwise and drug herself up like she was. She remembered what it was like to run on chakra pills only, and the inevitable crash that came at the end. She hoped that Pain wouldn't hate her too much for pushing herself so far and wouldn't be suspicious of how the hell she could waste so much chakra just training in the rather sparse woods of Kusa. Hopefully, he hadn't sent someone to watch her and said hypothetical babysitter wasn't freaking out because she disappeared off the face of the earth.

Yuupika shivered uneasily. _Best not to think about it._

She waited about thirty minutes this time for her chakra to properly regenerate and top off again before delving back in for her final stretch, feeling more confident and more driven than before.

The air in the cavern was slightly cooler than before and cooling still when she finished. This time, she only took one chakra pill and supplemented chakra regeneration pills, three to be exact. They were much easier on the system, so much so that they were hard to overdose on, unlike chakra restoration pills. They would help her recover faster and ease the strain on herself. So, with much help from nature chakra and much willpower, she made her way back home. Stinky, tired, but satisfied. In a few days, she would return to complete her second task in that area, when she was well-rested and in top shape again. For now though…

"Yuu-chan, what were you thinking?! Your father told me everything!"

She winced at her mother's scolding tone over the phone. Yuu had walked into their temporary residence looking like death had given her a very long hug and because of this, her traveling companions freaked out. It was cute to observe until they established that she was okay, and then the reprimands came. Those were not cute. Orochimaru, lecturing in tandem with Kakuzu was one of the scariest things that she had ever witnessed and she was so glad that she got out alive. Sasori made her promise to be more careful, a very upset and worried look in his eyes _(he couldn't bear to lose her too)_. Pain had actually called her mother on her.

No joke.

She didn't know whether to be salty, touched, or whether to have a laugh about it, because he was a man that liked to deal with things by himself to the best of his ability, and the thought that Pain was so flustered that he had to call _Konan_ while she was overly busy running an entire country was just too funny.

"Sorry, Kaa-san…I just want to get stronger, you know." She relented, pouring guilt into her tone. She was hoping that it would ease the woman's verbal lashing.

A huff, instinctual and practiced, like she had heard this excuse many times before, and then, "That is no excuse to push yourself to exhaustion! What if something happened to you out there and you couldn't do anything to defend yourself?" _Is she forgetting that I can turn people into dust? I think she's forgetting._

"But nothing happened, Kaa-san! I'm fine!" Yuu protested but heard a growl across the line that made her shiver involuntarily. _Oh, Kami-sama._ Her Kaa-san could be _scary_.

"Just like Yahiko, I swear…" Were her grumbled words. Konan sighed deeply after a moment. "Why didn't you at least take someone with you?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well, I didn't think I'd need it…"

"You're a genius, baby, but you're not even a preteen yet. You need someone older and more experienced with you, especially in unknown territory, even if it's ours! Next time you go on a training trip because Kami-sama _knows_ you will, you're taking someone along with you. I don't care who! And this is not up for debate, understand me, young lady?"

Yuupika sunk into her mattress, bathrobe pooling around her and defeat in her veins. There would be no squirreling out of this one. "Yes, Kaa-san..." She sighed a pout on her lips.

"Good." Konan took a deep breath, gearing up for whatever she would say next. "Now, how was your trip there? How do you like the city? Your father does message me often with updates, but he's never been a man of many details, you know? Not like us girls." _Oh, that's surprising...-_ Yuupika's eyebrows were raced towards her hairline. _-_ … _ly cute. Super surprisingly cute. Nagato is such a softie. He's so in love._

They talked until it was time for bed, Sasori coming in and leaving her dinner with a kiss to her forehead, and even though their conversation had started out a bit sour, they ended it on a very positive note. It felt good to talk to Konan like that. Just to talk to someone in general, like a school girl again, like she used to in her old world with some of her old friends. She missed talking on the phone with someone, it gave her an odd sense of normalcy in a world where killing people was a daily, legal, and encouraged activity. Yuupika sighed, staring at her pager and kicking her legs back and forth in the air as she lay on her stomach. Who else could she talk to?

… _Itachi._

They exchanged numbers. Months ago, and she just remembered. Did he remember? Was he too busy with training? Why hadn't he messaged her yet? Yuupika frowned and scrolled through her contacts, stopping when the Uchiha's name was highlighted. Her finger hesitated over the call button.

Would he pick up? Was he waiting for her to make the first move, after all that had transpired on the last day of her stay in Konoha? Maybe he was giving her time to heal. That would be thoughtful of him.

…or maybe he was a big scardey cat who didn't have a clue about romance or being a boyfriend and was deathly afraid of calling her first. As much as she hated to admit it, that sounded much more plausible. Yuupika sighed tiredly, sliding her finger off the button and placing her pager down on her nightstand.

 _Maybe tomorrow._


	25. Naufragous

A/N: Yo!

Another chapter, my lovelies! Thank you for your reviews and PMs and all your kind words. I appreciate you all!

Don't forget to vote on Yuupika-chan's hubbies-to-be. I'm honestly just gonna set my baby up in a reverse harem at this point, so don't be shy with your ships. I can probably make them happen, just saying.

I feel like there's something else that I should be telling you...

OH! I think I'm gonna start looking for a beta soon. Like. I don't know, I feel like I could definitely use one. Any recommendations, just let me know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own...um...

* * *

 _Naufragous:_

 _(adj.)_

 _causing shipwreck; in danger of being shipwrecked_

* * *

 _And of all the words I could say_

 _Yours is my favorite_

 _Your name is a melody on my lips_

 _A symphony of syllables when spoken into the air_

 _I eagerly await everything of you_

 _It's no wonder I adore you_

Yuu lifted her hands from the paper, slowly twirling the brush. Pretty little kanji stared back at her, all neatly organized on a single sheet. Another love poem. She was hopeless. There was just something… She was in love with something. The girl had yet to figure out what. A name or place wouldn't come to mind when she tried to brainstorm. Maybe it was just a feeling? _Oh, whatever._

Yuu placed the brush back into the inkwell and pushed the paper slightly away from her. Her mind detached from the thing instantaneously, similarly detaching from the small bit of curiosity and frustration that came along with it. She adjusted her polyester robe with fuzzy lining in the mirror of the vanity she was sitting at, admiring her appearance for a moment. She was certainly growing into her features. Elegant, beautiful. Her mother must have been beautiful. And this hair, where did it come from? It was thin and stringy in the beginning, so unlike the full and smooth thickness it had now. Maybe that was a product of nature chakra running so frequently in her body? It did, in fact, make all things blossom. It was really too bad she would never know.

 _Well, anyways. What should I do today?_ And wasn't that really the question? She had a good few days to blow since she needed to recover from abusing her chakra like that, but she had no idea how to spend them. Her face was already brushed over with a tad bit of makeup, just accentuating her cheekbones, eyes, and lips, so the only thing she really needed to do was pick a dress and head out. The whole city was hers to roam. It was a lovely thought, but her legs just didn't want to move and lift her from the position she was in. Was this laziness? _Sigh. I wonder what everybody else is doing…_

A soft rapping at her door startled her a bit and Yuupika expanded her range to see a stately looking Sasori awaiting her. She rose quickly to meet him.

"Sasori-nii!" She greeted, grinning at him. A gentle smile warmed his face as he took in her visage.

"Good morning, Yuu-chan. How did you sleep?"

"Oh, just fine." Her fingers made their way into the hair falling over her shoulders, twirling it idly. Sasori glanced at the subtle movement. _Sweet of him to check on me._ "What about you? What are you up to?"

"I slept well. I was hoping you would accompany me in the city today." He said, half-lidded eyes gleaming, waiting for her reaction. Yuu didn't disappoint.

She gave him a lovely smile. "Mmm, I guess I could go with you. You know, I was just thinking about taking a walk around." Yuu stepped back, gesturing for him to enter with a wave of her hand. "Have you stepped out, yet?" She asked as she turned and accosted her closet, leaving the door partially open behind her so that sound could travel through better. His feet made soft sounds on the marble as he looked around her room, hair that was still wet from a shower falling like rain against his temples and cheekbones.

"Not yet. Orochimaru has though, he's recommended a few places worthy of visitation."

"Oh? That's nice, we should definitely go check those out."

"Indeed." She caught his full attention as she revealed herself in a purple yukata, adorned with yellow butterflies, the necklace that Kakuzu had given her so many years ago resting against it in stark contrast. These days it was rarely taken out, sealed on the roof of her mouth and just behind her front teeth by courtesy of Pain. With all the attention she received, she couldn't risk it being coveted by someone and stolen. _It's too precious._

Sasori blinked twice in rapid succession, and admiration sparked his gaze. "You're marvelous." He complimented, drawing closer with a hand outstretched. Yuu took it, her heart content as he came to a stop mere inches from her and kissed her forehead. His lips were soft.

"Well, aren't I always?" The girl joked and he chuckled, the vibrations tickling her brow. His breath was steady, his heartbeat strong, thumping like thunder in her overly sensitive ears. She could listen to the soothing rush of his blood under porcelain skin all day, not unlike a river. Sasori was like a rock she could always lean on, at her back even when she was cornered. Perhaps, when things settled down, she would tell him all about it – everything.

"Of course, Yuu-chan." Sasori tugged just the slightest bit at her hand and she gave easily, falling into stride with him as he led her away. The halls of the castle were grand with furnishings, gold (as Sasori told her) painted over the trimmings and accenting the décor. She was certainly enthralled by it, though Yuupika knew better than to openly display such a thing. "Do you like what you see?" Sasori teased, a smirk slanting in her direction. She lightly whacked his arm.

"Well, yeah! It's a bit excessive for a home though. The daimyo really used to live here?" Yuu's face scrunched a bit with the inquiry.

"He did. As did his father and his grandfather when they ruled. This has been the family home of the daimyo for generations." The young man informed her and Yuupika held back a bit of a wince. _That's right, I uprooted them, didn't I? Ah well, it's all for the better._

"I'm sure it'll serve better as a museum, no?" The kunoichi tried for a bright expression and a ghost of amusement passed Sasori's features.

"Of course, it'll bring much revenue as a tourist attraction," Kakuzu stated with certainty as they rounded a corner into the entrance hall. He stood with a clipboard and pen in hand and a leather book tucked underneath his arm. Yuu blinked at the regal robes of fine material that he wore, Ame's symbol proudly woven into the fabric.

"Going on a business trip?" She guessed as the duo approached.

"Mmm," Was the miser's half-hearted agreement, his hard eyes quickly scanning the pages in front of him. She detached from Sasori for a moment to lean into Kakuzu and his arm naturally moved to circle her body despite his inattention.

"What for?" She asked, taking in the scent of his cologne and carding her fingers through the ends of his hair. He had grown it out to about mid-back and Yuu had suspected that it was because she had lamented out loud one day about how she hated the way he chopped it with a kunai every month to keep it near his shoulders. Since then, he hadn't touched it – in fact, Yuu thought that maybe he even brushed it nowadays, based on how much softer it was than before. It made her warm with happiness.

"We must attend to our assets here in Kusa." He flicked her nose fondly. "Promote growth."

Yuu nodded sagely, though she had no idea which assets he was talking about. "I get it."

He huffed. "Sure, you do, brat." She giggled and released him and Kakuzu wasted no time leaving them to their machinations. "Have fun on your date. Keep her safe." He gruffly called after himself and Sasori's cheeks swirled a bit with chakra before he quietly protested the statement, shifting his weight.

"It's a joke!" She exclaimed, pulling him along as she followed in Kakuzu's footsteps towards the main door. Sasori averted his gaze, the line of his jaw moving but his mouth never opening in reply. Yuu's lips parted in a show of gleaming teeth as green rays of sunlight fell upon her and the city beyond revealed its splendor. She spread her senjustu far and wide, taking it all in. "I love it!"

"It's quite colorful." Sasori murmured, hair rustling in a breeze that chased the shadows of his face below his soft shirt. They danced mesmerizingly along the planes of his chest. "You did well."

"Thank you." Yuu meant it.

Gentlemanly as always, Sasori guided her down the steps and into the crowd of the main roads, people parting and giving them generous room to move about with expressions of awe and wonder.

"Where would you like to go first?"

"To eat something, perhaps? I'm craving a croissant and some coffee, you know." She tapped her chin in consideration with a slim finger. "And then afterward, I would like to take a walk through the public gardens. On the way there, we could stop some of the places Oji-maru recommended. How does that sound?"

"Perfect."

They chatted amicably as they made their way towards the nearest café, one that happened to be a spot on Orochimaru's list. It was warm and the aroma had reached her from down the street, forcing her to quell growls of hunger. The food didn't disappoint when it was finally in front of them either – buttery and flaky, melting in her mouth like she remembered the croissants in France did, the coffee rich and creamy. A bit indulgent, she relented mentally, because she usually only let herself drink coffee when it was black or nearly so and she needed a boost. But she was with Sasori, who was indulging her, letting her ramble on about her next projects, how she was anxious to read over the kenjutsu scrolls that Juzo had left to her, thinking herself ready to publish that book she had forgotten about and take on another challenge. The man nodded with gentleness in his expression as she detailed the workings of a guitar and her desire to play one, explaining to him the beauty of harmony and dissonance and of certain progressions of chords that made her shiver as they walked along the streets. She tried on beautiful dresses, blew glass into odd shapes, watched civilians with grace rivaling a shinobi's perform traditional dances of Ame, witnessed artists paint landscapes of fantasy within mere minutes, a skill she couldn't hope to achieve. Sasori was with her, listening to her talk the whole time, content in her laughs and amazement. His eyes hardly left her.

"These are my favorite," Yuupika breathed out, enraptured by the sight of stargazer lilies blossoming in droves in front of her.

Sasori hummed, reaching out and plucking one from its long stem. She turned towards him, feeling a warmth on her skin as he slid the beauty into her thick hair. He seemed to do that so often. Rays of green light were traipsing in his own locks, the sun behind him, and Sasori smiled. His fingers brushed her jaw. "How lovely."

Something swirled in her stomach, unknowingly eliciting a blush.

"Yuupika-hime!"

She whirled around – expanding her range because she hadn't even noticed that it had narrowed down to only a few meters around her – and saw a hauntingly familiar face.

A few years older now, his form taller, filled out with taut muscle and his jaw wider than she remembered, Yuu exclaimed, "Akihiko?" though her voice was smaller than she intended it to be. He stepped out hastily from between the hedges, Sasori tensing when he made to come closer. The puppeteer was in front of her suddenly, shielding her from the boy – or man? _He has become sturdy like a tree and handsome, his hair is long and well-cared for_ – with intent in his gaze.

"Who are you?" Sasori bit out, but Yuupika was quick to lay a soothing hand on his arm and tug on his shirt.

"It's alright, I know him," She assured. "It's alright."

Sasori glared at the newcomer, a threat in every part of him and Yuu was distantly touched by his protectiveness. Slowly and after a long moment, he shifted to the side, allowing Akihiko full view of her. Chakra swirled in the teen's cheeks and his breath hitched now that her full attention was on him. His wide orbs slanted over her, taking in every inch of her. She could feel the turbulence in Sasori's chakra at the action and Yuu herself was vaguely uncomfortable. He was what – seventeen now? He shouldn't be gazing at her with such admiration – she could see the worship on his tongue before it emerged.

"You're beautiful as ever," Akihiko whispered. "Tsubaki-chan." _His voice is deep, the undertones just like…_ A phantom pain wracked her body, flashes of memories in her brain, a name on the forefront of all of them.

"It's just Yupika now… H-How is everyone?" She didn't mean to stutter but _damn it,_ he looked so much like him too… _why did they have to be brothers?_

Akihiko chuckled a bit breathlessly, scratching the back of his head. When he craned his neck like that, Yuupika caught the ridges of old scars that made her swallow hard. "Mibi-baa-san is pretty much the same, you know? Yuri-chan and little Kazu-kun are much different though. It's no wonder, having a toddler around really changed things for the better."

The girl tried for her best smile. "I can only imagine."

Akihiko's eyes abruptly slashed towards Sasori. "Can we talk alone?" _Well, that's a blatant suggestion if I've ever heard one._ The puppeteer stiffened, obviously at odds with the turn of events, but Yuu was already nodding. She looked over at Sasori, apology dripping in her demeanor.

"Would you give us a minute?"

His expression closed and became stony in a way that she didn't like. "Make it quick." He muttered, and a pulse of chakra carried him away on a body flicker. There was silence between the two left, only the sounds of nature loud in her ears before the man paced closer and dropped to a knee in front of her. Yuupika's eyebrows nearly connected with her hairline.

"Yuupika-hime," He stared earnestly at her. _Oh no._ She could already feel what was coming. "I've changed too. I'm stronger now I was before. I've trained with the samurai and I've learned so much from them, I've gone above and beyond to be the very best that I can be. Three years ago, I pledged my life to you. I intend to stay true to my promise. Please, wherever you go, let me follow. I will always follow."

 _You'd think, after so many years…his childish infatuation would fade._ Yuu took a deep breath. _He's looking at me like he did the night that he stole my first kiss._ "And what about Mibi-san? Yuri-san?" Her throat was tight. "Kazuki-kun? Will you leave them behind and possibly never see them again?"

His eyes darkened, but his brow was still set, his posture sure and true. "Yes. I would do anything, go anywhere and never return for you."

Yuupika observed him with a stern frown and a rigid spine. A few moments passed them by before she approached him and touched his shoulder. He shuddered under her. She felt along his arm and then the slope of his collarbone. His neck, she saw a small line near its base, a scar of a very sharp blade. There was another dragging up his chin, bisecting the corner of his lips – it was rough. _This did not happen in a controlled spar._ "So, you think you've learned everything from the samurai?" Yuupika cradled his face, forcing him to look into her eyes instead of her lips, disregarding how flushed he was.

"I know everything I need to protect you."

Yuu gripped his jaw threateningly, so very close to his neck – he didn't tense at all. He truly trusted her. Something dawned in her mind. _I can make use of this._ "Then you're foolish. The samurai are warriors with millennia of teachings and practices. If you think a couple years are all that's needed to absorb the entirety of that, then you've learned nothing." There was hurt in his gaze, but she wasn't done. "I wish to see your master."

He blinked. "My master? He-"

"Take me to him." She commanded, and he was on his feet immediately, obeying her like a dog.

"This way."

Sasori's aggravated figure followed after them as they started to walk. No doubt he had heard their conversation and he didn't like that she was going off somewhere without his consent or at least his presence. _Sorry,_ she told him in her head. _Sorry, but I can't pass up an opportunity when I see one._ In one of the classier residential areas of the city, where there were large and magnificent homes, they stopped in front of a small manor that was guarded by two armored men out front. Akihiko bowed to them, but they bowed to her.

"Ame-hime." They chorused, still bent at the hip with long, tied hair flowing over their broad shoulders.

"As you were." She eased softly and the samurai assumed their previous positions, though both had a razor focus on Akihiko.

"Ame-hime wishes to speak with the master of the house." The teen relayed, and the man on the left switched his attention to her.

"If I may ask what this regards?" _What a gruff voice. Does he yell often?_

She patted Akihiko with a smile. "This one here."

The man who spoke had a nearly visible reprimand on his tongue, disapproval on his face when he looked back at the teen beside her as he opened the small gate. _Oh ~ he probably thinks Akihiko did something wrong. Ha! If only he knew._

"Please enter, honored guest." The man said, the two guards bowing again. Yuu smiled again as they passed into the front yard, styled beautifully after a Japanese garden. The manor itself was very traditional, secluded by the lush trees that surrounded it.

"He should be in the dojo," Akihiko commented as they strode along the polished wood of the porch. Her range already showed her such though. She could easily distinguish the man who was master of the house just by the way he commanded attention in the room, how the others silently sought his guidance and corrected themselves to emulate him. Beyond social cues, the age in his face and the fluidity of his movement were big enough tells. He stood tall and sheathed his sword when they were but a few steps away, already facing the door when it was opened. He bowed low and everyone else in the room, composing themselves a little later than he, followed suit.

"Ame-hime, it is a pleasure." He rumbled, crisp and clear, then straightened himself once again. "My name is Hatsuo Yamamoto. My apologies, if I had known of your arrival, I would have prepared."

"The fault is all mine," Yuupika shook her head. "This visit is unannounced. I hate to impose, but may I speak with you in private?"

"Of course," He agreed immediately. "Please allow me to refresh myself and I will meet you in my study."

Yuu nodded her assent and Akihiko gestured with a calloused hand in the other direction. Hatsuo didn't move until they rounded the corner, gentlemanly and polite even when his skin was slick with sweat and his breath was a touch short in exertion. They headed silently toward their destination and the teen didn't accompany her inside when they reached it. The girl smiled at the way Sasori sat impatiently in the trees outside, totally hidden and his chakra well contained within him. To a sensor, he was probably nearly invisible, though if he was caught, she had no doubt that he would get into a mess of trouble. Bodyguard or not, it was plain disrespectful to sneak around a samurai's house.

Mere minutes later, after tea was served to her (quite the fine kind, as well), Hatsu finally slid open the paper door and entered. Yuu smiled over her shoulder, but didn't turn to face him and waited until he sat seiza across from her to speak.

Straight to business, "When did you recruit Akihiko-san?"

Hatsuo shifted slightly at her brusqueness but answered promptly anyway. He was honor-bound to do so. "About two years ago. Why do you ask?"

"How advanced in his studies is he?"

"He is close to attaining the rank of officer, though his immaturity holds him back." _Still a small fry, hm?_

"How much time would it take to groom him into a man capable of performing in my personal guard?"

The samurai was stunned by the question, she could see it in his microexpressions. _Ah, but there's the pleasure in the crinkle of his eyelids and the pride in the twitch of his shoulders and he likes me a little more now beyond just respecting my position, I can see it in the loosening of the muscles around his lips._ It was tradition, after all, to have samurai in a royal ensemble. "I would need five years, my lady."

"Then, I will be waiting."

* * *

"It was reckless."

Yuupika sighed at the assertion and at the feeling of the fingers in her hair. "I know." Sasori was mad at her.

The man frowned deeper behind her. "Please don't do it again." That was a request, but it was also a plead, laced in the tones of his smooth words.

"I'm sorry," She admitted truthfully, though it wasn't out of regret. She felt bad to put him in such a position, but she would still have done the same thing over again if given the chance. Perhaps she wasn't a very good friend for that.

Sasori tied off the end of the long braid he made of her hair, freshly washed and still slightly damp. His delicate work laid against her back when his hands left it, though they stayed near her person, hovering just over her shoulders. Yuu observed the hesitation with interest. "Sleep well," he finally mumbled, patting her exposed skin once before rising and leaving. The click of the door shutting behind him was bittersweet.

Yuupika flopped down on her bed with a sigh, the folds of Obito's shirt pooling around her. This was one of his wider cut tees, newer, and the hole at the top nearly fell off either of her shoulders, held just by an inch of bone and muscle. She enjoyed the cool air over her collar and around her legs, where the material only came to mid-thigh. She was so, so small and it was comically displayed when she was swamped in the clothes of a much bigger man like her senpai.

 _Where is he now? I haven't seen him in what feels like forever…_

Yuu twisted her torso to reach her nightstand and grasped her pager, disconnecting it from its charger. The screen lit up and words came into view.

 _New Message._

Her eyes widened and she quickly unlocked it.

' _From: Kaa-san :)_

 _Good night, honey!'_

The kunoichi smiled, her love for the woman heating her chest before she replied in kind. Bored, she flipped through her contacts again, hoping inspiration would strike her and she would find something else to do before she slept. Her editor had already cleared her book for publishing, no changes to be made except for a few spelling errors, so she had no reason to contact him. She didn't feel like moving and the others probably wouldn't check their pagers if she texted them to pick their brains. Well, perhaps she could plan tomorrow? That sounded good.

She'd start off with some breakfast in the morning, and then she would bother Pain about helping with another solis experiment – _though it would probably be best to start planning that with Oji-maru first_ – she would work around and move a few things on her schedule for that, somehow contact Obito to make use of his personal dimension, though that would be much harder than any of her other tasks, so maybe it would be best to do that first? _Or perhaps…_

She was plotting ways to catch Obito's attention when the air hummed and a disturbance of swirls appeared, making her heart pump wildly in her chest. She jolted up to see a familiar form spiral into existence and leaped off the bed to crash into waiting arms. "Senpai!" She cried into his abdomen.

A deep chuckle like thunder was in her ears, the vibrations tingling her skin. "Hello, Yuu-chan. Did you miss me?"

The girl looked up to show her sincerity, and the words left her mouth before she could even realize what she was saying. "I always do." And then, of course, she blushed, because saying something like that made her feel vulnerable – she was vulnerable, her heart was out in the open for him.

Obito hummed and off his mask came. _Beautiful…he is so…_ Slanted eyes cataloged her appearance, shapely lips kissed the space between her eyes. He'd gotten closer without her realizing, on a knee in front of her and holding her to his person. Silky gloves were stroking her cheeks, warmth from the hands underneath seeping through. He was a furnace beside her, and she wondered how she ever put up with the cold. _Oh, I missed this…_

Entirely too soon, he pulled away again, but Yuu's disappointment was quickly soothed when the man began to strip. Her body turned away on instinct, but the girl's senjutsu was (embarrassingly) still drawn into his movements, watching as he unarmed himself, discarded his shirt and swapped out his shinobi pants for some sweats that she had stolen from him some time ago. He didn't even pause when they were proven just a bit too tight, his thighs outlined quite enticingly, his hips' shape displayed clearly in the room only illuminated by firelight. Obito plopped down on the bed and made himself comfortable, seemingly oblivious to Yuupika's plight.

"Yuu?" He called, propping his head up on an arm, his other one outstretched towards her in invitation. "Come." The green glow of dim light and shadows danced on his bare, sculpted chest by the crackling of the fire, frighteningly handsome face highlighted in all the most wonderful ways.

The atmosphere seemed entirely too intimate suddenly. Obito didn't notice it, though the girl was having a heart attack as she eased herself into his embrace, delighted in the fanning of his breath near her temple and the friction of his skin against her own.

 _He probably sees me as a child still and he probably has no clue about such things – but this is how lovers lie._

She was brought out of her musings by another kiss on her forehead. "How was your day?" He asked, cradling the back of her head and idly sliding long digits into her tresses at the base of her braid. The ghost of a shudder resonated in her body.

"It was good." She divulged, nearly under her breath. "I explored the city with Sasori-nii and gained the favor of the resident samurai that were contracted by the last daimyo."

"Oh?" Obito drawled with a note of interest.

"Mmm," Yuu sounded, cuddling closer to him, her arms snaking up and around his neck. They were pressed fully against one another then, legs entangling with the ease of long practice. She had accepted that she was powerless to his tender care. "My plan will allow me to open trade and negotiations with the Land of Iron and cement our status as a neutral country, allowing us to operate with more freedom and security throughout the continent."

" _Very good_." Obito purred, and Yuu felt a thrill inside of herself. She knew he would be pleased. "I do have business in the Land of Iron soon. Accompany me." It was not a request. Yuu wouldn't have cared if it was, she would have followed him anyway.

"Of course." She agreed right away and he bent down, nuzzling into the curve of her neck as he wrapped his strong arms around her fully. Yuu sighed in pleasure at the feeling of being enveloped by Obito, fully in his possession.

She slept soundly through the night.

* * *

She woke up to a light shake of her shoulder. Yuupika groaned as she activated her technique and the contours of Orochimaru's face greeted her. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, an eyebrow cocked in amusement as she yawned and sat up. Obito was gone, as per usual.

"Yes?" The girl prompted groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"I am to accompany you today on your training outing." He stated, reaching over and picking a lint piece from her messy hair. "And therefore I thought it best to rouse you early." _Already? I've only rested a day._ Yuupika nodded in understanding and Orochimaru rose to his feet as she pulled the covers off herself. _It's just like him not to wait. There go my plans for today…_ Cold air slapped her bare legs, Obito's shirt only reaching so far as to cover her modesty. Goosebumps raised on her skin, the hairs standing on end when she planted her feet on the floor and padded over to the bathroom.

"What time is it?" Yuu called through the bathroom door after shutting it. Her toiletries were laid out neatly in the large space and her lips quirked into a smile.

"6:37. The sun has just risen." Orochimaru responded. "I'll be waiting outside. I trust you won't be long?" He didn't wait for her to answer before leaving and Yuupika chuckled. _Of course. Impatient as ever, Oji-maru._ The kunoichi washed her face first and foremost before combing out her hair and tieing it deftly in a long braid again. It wasn't Sasori's work, but it would do for some training. She brushed her teeth, used some deodorant, and then shrugged on her bathrobe as she entered her room again. Predictably, Kakuzu had come in and laid out an appropriate outfit for her. The aforementioned man was awaiting her at the foot of her bed.

"Good morning, 'Kuzu-chan~," Yuu sang as she accosted the miser, and he smirked with a gleam in his eyes.

"Hm. Don't cause too much trouble today." He warned her with warmth in his deep tenor.

The girl put a finger on her chin, as if in thought. "Mmm, I'll consider it. Now turn around!"

The man obliged with a playful eye roll and Yuupika quickly slipped on the comfortable, sleeveless tee and the three-quarters pants. As if sensing exactly when she was smoothing out her shirt, Kakuzu turned around and pushed her shoulder, making her sit down on the bed. Yuu didn't fight the motion, just reached back and grasped her supply belt. It was packed extra this morning, she noticed and was quite pleased with it. The thick leather was easy to secure on her hips and she swiftly moved to wrap her kunai pouch on her thigh. Kakuzu, experienced as he was, was expertly wrapping her shins in bandages, already done with the first leg. Yuupika admired his efficient work and stuck out her hands when he had knotted the cloth on her second leg. Not even a minute later, her hands were wrapped and ready. Her shoes came next and damn if she didn't feel like some kind of Cinderella as her miser fit them over her feet.

"Your staff is in the third scroll on your right hip pouch. Your backup is in the fourth. I expect at least one of them to still be intact when you return, brat." He growled as he stood to his full height. Yuu straightened herself to hers and craned her neck to grin cheekily at him.

"We'll see!"

The man sighed and walked out, Yuu on his heels. Orochimaru waited for them beyond the threshold, quickly assessing her attire. "Satisfactory. Lead the way."

It took no time at all for the pair to arrive at their destination, the small forest that the girl had visited a few days ago and the tree that had so happily swallowed her whole. "Alright," Yuu puffed, placing her hands on her hips and spinning to face Orochimaru. "I want you to teach me the summoning jutsu."

Where she expected blatant surprise, just curiosity and a quirked eyebrow met her. "Oh? And why should I do that?"

"So I can summon animals to battle? Or for information gathering? To just help me in general? Isn't that why you went into Ryuuichi cave?" She reasoned. Wind rustled the grass and the long strands of his thin hair. A rabbit hopped by. Orochimaru just stared at her for a moment before he pulled a hand up in half a tiger seal and a large scroll appeared at his side with a puff of white smoke. Her eyes bulged. _Is…that the snake summoning contract?!_

"You can sign this." The snake said softly, but Yuupika threw her hands up before he even finished, shaking them.

"No, that's not what I meant! I mean – not that I'm not extremely honored, but I want to actually get my own contract, ya know? Like, get reverse summoned and stuff and get matched up with those I'm most compatible with. Isn't that how these things usually go? What if the snakes don't even like me? I'm totally different from you! I doubt they will, ya know…" The girl rambled out all at once, feeling the heat on her cheeks. Orochimaru's body didn't show any sign of tenseness ( _and thank Kami-sama for that_ ) and he hummed in thought for a long moment – then opened his mouth, his jaw dropping farther than any human's ever could, and swallowed the scroll whole.

Yuupika gaped in horror. _What the fuck…_ "Oji-maru…that…was disgusting..."

He wiped a lingering drop of saliva from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. "A lot of people think so." He remarked conversationally. She shivered, wincing at the mental image that stuck with her. It was one thing to see it on a TV screen, removed from the ordeal, but actually witnessing it? _How can skin and muscle and all that be so…ugh!_

"A-Anyways," She stuttered, glancing left in lingering discomfort. "Will you teach me? Please…?"

"Yes, yes," The snake huffed and rolled his eyes in mild annoyance, obviously thinking her ridiculous for her disquietude. "Watch closely." And she did, memorizing the seals he quickly made and the way his chakra flowed. He stopped just short of releasing it, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"I got it." She said, then took a deep breath, bringing her hands up.

"Be careful," Orochimaru warned seriously. "Summon animals are not always friendly. Not all of them desire a summoner. You may be required to prove your competence – and if you are to become a morning snack," He flashed through another set of seals that she stored away in her mind. "That will bring you back to human territory, though you may end up on the other side of the world. Secure a contract. Be quick." She nodded, knowing those words were the closest thing to 'good luck' he would allow himself to say.

Yuupika performed the seals, molded her chakra, and released.

The world went black.

* * *

When Yuupika awoke, it was to all-consuming darkness.

But perhaps, that was too dramatic, as she usually did wake up to such a thing. In better terms, she woke up to darkness in the sense that there wasn't actual sunlight for miles on end – she checked. Sure, it was above her still, as the sun always is, but she was currently so far underground and shielded from it by layers and layers of packed earth that it would never reach her.

"…huh." Yuu picked herself gracefully up off the floor, pleased to find all her clothes and gear still intact. She dusted herself off and spread her senses far and wide. The nature chakra was exceedingly rich here, flowing through her veins like blood itself and enhancing the detail and the number of shades she saw tenfold. She saw the world like she never had before – it was riveting. It made her shudder with glee. She was mapping out everything she saw in explicit detail, seeing everything down to the atoms they were made up of, seeing the chemicals bonded together without even trying, calculating density with just a glance, nearly becoming the world around her as her very being synchronized with the frequency of everything. She saw the markings of senjutsu spread from her face, elongating to twine and twirl around her torso and all her limbs, reminding her of the strength of a hundred seal when it was fully activated. It was like a tattoo, seeping into every part of her, though it was so much more than skin deep. Her very cells hummed with energy.

 _This is true sage mode._

A few kilometers away, the edges of her range showed her an enormous room at the end of one of the many twisting, splintering hallways, filled to the brim with lifeforms that were…waiting…hanging off of the ceiling…

… _heh._ _Bats._

Yuupika couldn't suppress a chuckle at the sheer _irony_. Each and every single of them and their physical disabilities – just like her! _Of course,_ she thought. _Did I ever expect anything else?_ The girl shuddered again, but this time it was because of the adrenaline that coursed through her madly, like a river run wild. _Bats. Bats!_

 _I wonder what else they have up their sleeves? I want to learn everything they will teach me. They WILL teach me._

Swept up in her excitement, Yuupika ran swiftly towards her destination, deftly twisting around jagged rock and jutting column that littered the halls, easily bypassing the innumerable traps she set off that would have killed anyone else without her special brand of sight. Chakra activated, all of them, and they were based on proximity, not usage detection, so they were truly unavoidable. That was fine though, they just required a little flexibility and a few fast movements and they could be maneuvered around nicely.

As Yuu approached, she slowed with curiosity, as she noticed that she could not feel a single one of their chakra signatures beyond the mouth of the cavern. _A jutsu on the entrance then? It's concealing their presence quite nicely, I can't feel a drop of what I know is there._ Yuu grinned wickedly. _They're in for a surprise._

She passed the threshold and was immediately assaulted by vibrations and tingling on her skin so strong that she was stunned for a moment. But she analyzed the situation quickly – their mouth were all open, emanating what must have been sound that was just too high in frequency for her to hear. _Echolocation…masters of sound._ They were checking her out then, assessing her. Yuu wondered if they were impressed. After all, she had made it all the way to the ground she was standing on without suffering a single scratch.

Without warning, one of the bats swooped down, the claws on his feet silent as they pierced the air in front of him and aimed directly at her back. Yuu slid out of the way, moving no more than necessary to make sure that she wasn't touched and was rewarded with a whisper of an indignant squawk before her attacker flew high into the air again and came down for another pass. Yuu sidestepped again, this time tapping the back of his hairy feet with a triumphant smirk as he glided past. The bat backed away, sending a wave of vibrations that thrummed angrily in a way that she knew she should not be in the path of, and so the kunoichi jumped over it – then threw a couple kunai at the bat as he tried to take a shot at her while she was still in the air.

When she landed, she heard a voice for the first time.

" _Cheating~,_ " The bat who was her aggressor hissed, his features twisted with fury. "This one thinks the human is _cheating_!"

"No." Another voice bellowed, to distorted to be human, and to her _great_ fucking surprise, nature chakra literally _peeled back_ off the wall like a sheet of paper and revealed an enormous bat. Yuupika gaped. _He…he just…_ Images of Konohamaru using a poorly camouflaged cloth to try and disguise himself against a wooden fence flickered in her mind and Yuupika couldn't help but compare the two techniques because while one had much more finesse, they were awfully similar. _He totally hid his body with nature chakra! …but how is that possible?! The control you would need to possess would be absolutely phenomenal…could this be the bat boss? Is he a sage? And his chakra is so raw!_ The girl absentmindedly shivered. _So the technique conceals chakra too? Magnificent! I've got to learn-_ "The human is already in touch with sage arts."

Yuu was brought abruptly back to earth and she nodded only because it was her first instinct when she zoned out while in the middle of a conversation. Orochimaru could go on forever sometimes, that much wasn't secret… Yuu wondered how much of a tongue lashing she would receive when she got back from the summoning real because even thirty minutes was a stretch of that man's patience. Her actions seemed to draw out the ire of the smaller bat though and he snarled. " _Lying! The human is-_ "

"Enough," The boss(?) thundered, though he logically was talking in a volume that was normal for him. "Do you question my judgment?" That froze the other bat immediately.

"…this one does not. This one is no fool." _What a weird way of talking. What's up with this dude?_

"Good." The enormous mammal focused on her again. "Who are you, human? What is it you hope to gain in our realm?"

 _I guess one can only be honest at this point._ "I am Yuupika Uzumaki. I seek knowledge."

"You are no Uzumaki," He countered and the girl felt the unnerving stares of thousands of eyes at once. "What makes you think we have the knowledge you seek?"

"Only in name," Yuupika clarified because she didn't want to seem like a liar. Good first impressions were extremely important! "I am adopted. And well," She paused. "You must have the knowledge I seek because we're very alike."

"How do you mean?"

"I was summoned here," She began, conjuring up an explanation in her head that would seem most logical. Really though, she only had a vague understanding of the topic. She hoped no one would call her out on her bullshit. "Our chakras resonate. I have something you desire and you have something I desire – it's how a contract like this works. We are puzzle pieces that just so happen to fit beside each other. If you would allow me to gain your trust and respect, our bonding would reap nothing but benefits."

"How presumptuous…" The animal mumbled, but his beady eyes were calculating. "Very well, little human. You are strong enough to stand before the colony unharmed. I will grant you more words." _Was he planning to kill me then?_ Yuupika warily reviewed the seals to bring her back to the elemental nations in her head. "What else do you have to offer?"

"Whatever it is you desire…" Yuupika restated, a lilt in her tone meant to be suggestive and alluring. She wanted his curiosity. She didn't want him to be able to resist signing her on.

The boss was silent for a moment and Yuu briefly felt her heart pick up pace ( _did I fail?)_ , before, "The colony requires herbs and free access to the elemental nations." _Herbs are easy, but access…hmm…nothing some fuinjutsu can't fix, I guess. I'll have to talk to Nagato later._

"Done." She easily settled. "What more?"

"A willing test subject."

And that…caught her for a loop. _Test subject?_ The girl licked her lips, uncomprehending and trying valiantly to push down the small seed of hesitance that had sprouted. She had been feeling pretty good about this whole trip up until now. "…how do you mean?" She questioned after a pause, tilting her head to express herself better. _Test subject for what?_

The boss shifted a bit and fanned his wings absently before responding. The room was eerily quiet. "You see, little human…bats are not combat summons." _That much, I knew_. "Instead, we are medics, spies, assassins, saboteurs, and alchemists. The colony has no need of your assistance in anything other than our alchemy work, as we are naturally immune to poison and the summoning realm has a limited supply of herbs." _Oh no. I think I know where this is-_ "We will require of you to be a test subject for various new poisons." Perhaps he saw the pale tone of her skin as the blood rushed away from her face, because he chuckled, an ominous, deafening sound. "Not to worry, little human. We will always restore you to perfect health when we're done." The others above her chittered with amusement and malicious glee, and Yuupika felt a chill cool her blood. _Restore me? What kind of damage…what is being implied here…_ "Do you accept our terms?"

The kunoichi swallowed thickly, taking a few seconds to compose herself. _I…could always sign with snakes…? I'm sure they'd come around eventually. They'd like me! Maybe. At least I wouldn't be used as a guinea pig._

 _…_

 _Ah well, even that isn't a certainty._ Yuu repressed a resigned sigh. _There's no turning back now. I'll just have to face the consequences._

"…I accept."

The cavern echoed with the sounds of excitement from the thousands above her. "Very good." The large bat sounded pleased and Yuu refused to acknowledge that she felt a little burst of spite, and then nature chakra pulled back again like a heavy drape from a towering entrance that she had not seen before. Her eyes widened and her breath caught even as the whole colony dropped like rocks from the roof and went rushing out, wind whipping around them as they flew. She steadied herself with chakra subconsciously, a reaction that was ingrained to make sure she didn't get knocked off of her feet. Immediately, she spread her range to see…a village of sorts. It was a large, interconnected system that branched off an open space with holes in the walls that led to all manner of establishments – there were huts of homes, gathering places, fields, and shops maybe if her senjutsu was accurately assessing everything? All the little intricacies and accents that a village would have, if structured slightly different. It was all very odd (and stupidly humid if she did say so herself), and Yuu found it hard to wrap her head around the fact that all of these creatures lived here, in total darkness, just plotting and scheming and being creepy as fuck until they died… _Is there even an exit? How do they break the monotony?_

Carefully, Yuu stepped inside, marveling at the concept of it all. "Come." The boss beckoned with a flick of his large wing. "Now you must pass the trial."

"W-Wait, what?" Yuupika spluttered, pivoting swiftly to face him. Her train of thought was derailed. "Trial?" Did she not just negotiate a deal with him?

"Oh, yes, little human. Not just anyone can gain our alliance, though many have tried. Now that we have established that you are _willing_ , we must now determine if you are _able_." More chittering. _Unease. What is this sense of foreboding?_

"What is my trial, then?" She hoped to get it over with, no matter what, as soon as possible. She wanted this contract, damn it. And she wanted to feel sunlight again. She wouldn't openly admit it, but all this fog and darkness was a bit unnerving.

"You will lie in the pool of reflection for one hour."

"The pool of reflection?" Yuu didn't like the way that sounded.

The boss hummed. "It is a well of our most potent poison that will disassociate you from reality for as long as it takes to seep through your skin and devour your chakra coils. If you survive it, you will be restored as new and gain our respect and trust as a transformed individual. You will be granted access to all of our resources and techniques and you will be assimilated into the colony."

That…kind of sounded like suicide.

Oddly enough, that idle thought was the last thing she clearly remembered.


	26. Update

A/N: Yo!

Sorry to those who thought this was a chapter. It's obviously not, but it's still important, so please read.

Okay, so as we're setting things up for ACT 2, which is coming around pretty quickly, I just wanted to make everyone aware that this story is gonna take a lot of dark turns and I don't know if a lot of people will be able to deal. Right now, it's basically just a lot of fluff and saccharine goodness and everyone fawning over Yuupika, which is what she wanted in the first place, but it can't stay that way. It was never meant to and it wouldn't be a very good story if it did. All good things must inevitably come to an end.

From here on out, this story will include graphic depictions of violence, suggestive themes, explicit language, sex, rape, child abuse (verbal/physical/mentions of sexual), graphic depictions of insanity/PTSD, and of course, death.

I'll put warnings at the beginning of each chapter when the plot actually picks up so you'll kind of know what to expect and I'll also put warnings inside the chapter when there's something especially disturbing so you can skip the nitty-gritty details. If you choose to bear with me, know that I greatly appreciate it and I love you dearly. Thank you all for sticking with me and my story thus far.

Sincerely yours,

Ej


	27. Lacuna

A/N: Yo!

To all those who are still here, thank you. Buckle up and brace yourselves for the ride.

Now it's time for me to really hunker down and get to work.

Disclaimer: I think we all know what's up, unfortunately. Freakin' Kishimoto.

* * *

Two days. That's how long it took for Yuupika to come to terms with the situation. It had been an enlightening experience…to say the least.

When she came to, she didn't know where she was. She didn't know who she was. She could register the feeling of warped hands on her person, wings like curtains carrying her, she could feel the presence of…the presence of something new in her body. An added chakra imprint that wasn't there before. Curious. She wasn't coherent. She wasn't even supposed to have chakra. She was tired though, oh so tired, so she couldn't panic. She couldn't even move actually.

That had changed when nature chakra washed over her like a tidal wave and flooded her system so completely that she felt she was getting drowned. Her body that didn't feel like a body, that should have been much taller, with curves and hair in a lovely bob, her smile full of too many teeth that she had inherited from – who? She was an orphan, her mother had died by a slit throat, right above her. She didn't know what she looked like. She had no one, in the beginning, in this fantasy world that was not her own, in a universe that would someday implode and the life inside would return to nothing, everything would be a void. What was the purpose of it all? They were living in a time-bomb, their lives were insignificant, just a blip on a radar, ever-

Her body had been filled up – she could feel as every cell was re-energized and revived. She had gasped air that she didn't realize she wasn't breathing and coos were in her ear, calming her. They had restored her fully, as they said they would. And then, they had placed within her gut, a promise of their bond, a seal of their summoning, so that she may call upon them effortlessly at any time.

Two days, and she felt as though one hour had totally reconfigured her view of life. Of this life, she should say, because she had never been more in touch with the way her soul was stretched as she was now. Seeing everything in such perspective, being completely detached from it, heart beating so fast that she felt she would die at any moment, for the longest moment and those to come – well…something had died in her. Something died and morphed and reformed into something that…

Well. Anyway.

Two days it had taken her to understand and accept fully. True, they had not lied when the bats said she would be a transformed individual. She could see it all now. She could see the entire picture. And that's what they wanted from the beginning, they had already accepted her as soon as she set foot in their realm. The colony just needed her to see with clarity – no bias, or film over her judgment. It was not a trial at all. It was an awakening.

Two days it had taken her to rewrite her plans and come to a conclusion.

Yuupika sat now at the feet of the Homura, the boss who was now happy to give out names and answer her questions.

"-and such mixing with soul fragments causes the nature chakra to replicate what DNA dictates should already be there, perhaps even better than before. It's quite simple really, Yuu-chan." He spoke now in what Yuu guessed was a whisper, with fondness and familiarity that the girl knew came from what he and the rest of the colony witnessed while she was in the pool. Oh yes, everything she had seen and experienced, so many pieces and memories from both lives – they saw it all as well. She was transparent to them. They knew everything.

The girl wasn't averse to this change of events though. It was quite nice to realize a burden that she had unknowingly been carrying was lifted. It was exactly what she had been hoping for. "I had never considered such a thing," Yuupika admitted. "It's so far out of the box…it's almost like talking about a different topic, souls have near nothing to do with medical procedures. And yet…"

"And yet, the fragments can be used even to bring someone back to life, though that is considerably harder. In it's most basic form, healing wounds, and regrowing limbs is much easier." The mammal smiled, the skin of his snout scrunching up and taking on a predatory appearance at the action.

"Mm. So, when can I learn this?"

"As soon as you wish. Our techniques are always open to your review."

Yuupika hummed in pleasure. How nice it was to be immediately indulged. "And what of that technique that you used to hide from me? I'm assuming that's much more difficult."

Homura chuckled and she felt it in her bones. "Ah, quite. See, you just channel raw nature chakra and use it without any finesse. To perform any jutsu with it, however, you must learn how to mold it and shape it, as you did with your own chakra."

"How tedious." Yuupika huffed, letting her thoughts be known. She had no qualms being her true self here. Homura just laughed again.

"Yes, all little wings think so when they first begin learning. Though, this will have to be done at a later time. Your kinsmen become restless with your absence."

 _Oh, that's right. I've been gone for a while…_ "Of course. I'll be in touch soon." Yuu bowed politely, though the bat had already proclaimed that it was not necessary. With a touch of his massive wing and a rush of chakra, Yuupika found herself back in the fields of Kusa. Her hold over the rich nature chakra diminished, but she wrangled it back, now knowing how true sages kept it flowing in their coils from experiencing it herself. It was a wonder when she could see as far as she could, usually, it took much more effort than this. _Extraordinary._

She made it back to the capital in record time and with little fanfare. The bats had taken a small portion of her chakra to send a messenger back into her world and inform Orochimaru of the situation. He had relayed the message to her family, and thus, she was greeted with congratulations and pride instead of worry when she arrived. She paid it little mind.

"I want the base finished by November. I want messages sent out to every village about the Christmas party we will be hosting here in Kusa. Also, I need information about the situation in Kiri. Specifically, I need a report about jōnin Kisame Hoshigake." Yuupika's voice was firm, though quiet as she gave orders to Black Zetsu. He was kneeling on the floor at the foot of her bed, watching her with intent, soulless eyes. She was no longer unnerved by it. "Get in touch with a few movie production studios, send my regards. Open a conversation with them about children's literature. Also, I want informants placed in Claw and River country. I want to know about the political climates there, as well as economic stability." She shifted into a more comfortable position before touching her pen to her notepad again. She was outlining the plot of her next book. "Also, I need to know of Danzo Shimura's movements as of late. The sooner you can get this done, the better. If you can provide me with some documentation of whatever he's dabbling in at the moment, particularly anything he's dabbling in inside the Lands of Noodles and Tea, that would also be helpful. In addition to that, find out if he already has an arm made of Hashirama cells and if he has implanted any Sharingan." Yuu tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That will be all."

" **…** **you are different, sister.** " Black Zetsu began, staring at her unblinkingly. " **Has something happened? Have you received a message from…?** " He didn't finish, but the hopeful lilt in his tone was telling enough of what he failed to vocalize. Yuupika smiled at him indulgingly.

"I did. There will be some changes from now on." He shuddered, creating a wave of vibrations, and nodded. There was an excited air about him. "Well," Yuu spoke, turning back her to notes. "I'll be in touch if I need anything else."

He was gone like silence and the kunoichi was left to her thoughts. Their party would be leaving Grass in a few days and heading into the Land of Earth. Their stay in this country was never meant to be a long one. She'd have to send some white zetsus to scope out Iwagakure before she arrived, just to give her something to prepare for, something to expect. She would not go in blind. The girl nodded to herself, making a mental note.

 _Now…what else can I take care of?_ Yuupika spread her range, smaller now in her half-state of sage mode that she had been using for so long (she didn't want to tell anyone just yet that she had become a true sage), and found Orochimaru in his room, reading scrolls at the large desk provided for him. Quite typical of him really, to be doing exactly what she thought he would be doing. He was so engrossed in his studies.

It was a short trip and he opened the door for her before she even raised her hand to knock. "Yuu-chan," He greeted, ushering her inside speedily. "Come, I was just thinking of fetching you. I believe I'm close to a breakthrough in our solis study."

"Oh? What a coincidence, that was just what I wanted to ask you about…"

* * *

Are you sure about this…?" Pain looked rightly skeptical – it was a big thing they were asking him after all. Well. Perhaps that wasn't quite right. _She_ was asking Pain, Orochimaru was just standing behind her, content on letting her do all the talking and perform all the persuasion. That bastard. He was lucky she loved him.

"Ninety-five percent. I'd say those are quite good odds, you know, compared to the ones that we had when we conducted our first experiments." Yuu argued sagely. "Now we have a much better idea of what we're dealing with and we also know how to properly handle the situation if it takes a turn for the worse. We can take necessary precautions."

The man sighed wearily, lean muscles stiffening and loosening as a practice of relieving stress. "I would rather not put you in danger again, princess."

 _Ah. Is that why he's so reluctant?_ The girl smiled disarmingly and stepped closer to him, laying a hand on his heavy robes. He wore them nearly every second while he was here, reminding everyone he came across of his status and his power. People trembled when they glimpsed these adornments at a distance. Yuu would be lying if she said seeing such a reaction didn't make her inflate with secondhand pride. _I don't care about being so powerful, no…but to be looked upon with such reverence…_ "Papa, you don't have to worry. I trust you."

And the way he looked at her, just by the fleeting gleam in his rinnegan eyes, she could tell he was already convinced. _Trust. Love._ Those were the things he valued most. A bit disgruntled, but otherwise warm and fond, Pain returned her smile and caressed her cheek. "Okay, Yuu-chan. I'll speak to Madara-sama about it when I have the time. This most likely cannot happen until we reach Uzushio, though."

"Satisfactory," Orochimaru articulated from behind her, shifting his weight from his left leg to his right. His arms, which were habitually crossed in a stance eerily reminiscent of the one he adopted later in the series, flexed as he rolled his shoulders. "We will begin preparations immediately."

Yuupika turned a dubious gaze. "Immediately? We have like three months before this thing takes off, why do we need to start so early?"

His long tongue flicked out as he smiled at her and _wow, what the fuck, why is Oji-maru so creepy_? "Caution and planning are the foundation of successful experiments, Yuu-chan."

"I concur," Pain conveyed, his mood lighter than it was a second ago. His body straightened up in accordance, the stamp in his hand raising to level with his chest. "Make any and all preparations you feel are appropriate." The kage pressed his stamp down on the paper below him and shuffled it into one of the many piles beside him as Yuupika sighed. _I guess it can really only help, even if I've already got enough on my plate._

"Right. See ya later, Tou-san."

He grabbed another paper for review. "Mmm."

* * *

Yuu wiped the glass one more time just to make sure that it was spotless and then she set the item down as tenderly as she could manage. It was a picture. It had a place on her vanity, as always, in the top righthand corner and it glistened like gold in the gentle glow of the candlelight.

 _Juzo._

There was a deep ache in her chest that she was much too familiar with, a pressure that was akin to a balloon that was overblown and was ready to burst at any moment. Really, it was irrational that she was feeling this way. _It's only a fantasy world, with fantasy people, and he wasn't even a significant-_

 _No_. _He was significant to me. Juzo, you idiot. You were too significant to me._ She could feel the buildup of traitorous tears behind her closed lids. _Will you forgive me one day? Will you understand? I couldn't save you. Can you see me now? Can you see what I'm desperately trying to achieve? It's all for you, I promise. Everything, everything, everything is for you._

Her face screwed up in consternation and she dropped it into her waiting palms.

 _…_ _but then again, you could always see right through my lies…it's unforgivable, it's taboo, but…please…_ Her whole form shivered. _You have to understand why…you have to…otherwise…_ Yuupika glared murderously at her own skin. _Stop thinking about it. He's gone. He's gone. Dead. Gone._ Her lungs shuddered with her breath. _He's out of the equation now. A casualty. An unfortunate loss. It doesn't matter. It was necessary. Death is always necessary. But now, it's on me. It's always been on me. One way or another, I have to take up the mantle that has been passed and realize my predecessors' dreams. It doesn't matter what I have to do._

 _I cannot fail. Failure is not an option._

Yuupika couldn't see it, but she knew amber eyes glared back in the mirror. _Failure is not an option._ She wasn't feeling particularly tired tonight. Perhaps she could slip away until the morning. No one would miss her until dawn, maybe, and even that wasn't a certainty. Besides, there was an overabundance of new senjutsu that was waiting for her that she was all too eager to learn. The kunoichi snatched a paper from the stack she usually used for poems and plucked the brush waiting in the Inkwell.

' _Went to see the bats. I'll be back later._

 _-Yuu'_

 _That's sufficient, right?_ Ah, well, it would have to do, even if it wasn't. Yuu rose, snuffed out the candlelight with an easy manipulation of wind chakra, and pulled on the seal inside of her. The chakra awoke from it's sedated state, read her intent, and pulled her into the summoning realm all in a disorientingly small amount of time, causing her to stumble lamely when she arrived. There was chittering around her, just as unsettling as the first time she had heard it, that she knew were laughs of amusement at her expense. Yuupika grumbled obscenities under her breath with an embarrassed flush alighting her features as she quickly righted herself. It wouldn't be visible in the darkness, but it didn't need to be.

"You're back so soon, Yuu-hime."

"Well, yeah. I need to start training after all." She pointed out to the bat who had spoken. It was a distinctly feminine sound – she had been dropped into one of the many hallways leading towards the main space, interrupting the flow of traffic and drawing attention to herself.

"Of course," Another bat to her left caught her attention, this one much more masculine. In truth, she could barely tell the difference in their physical appearances. "You'll want to see Homura-sama then."

"Okay, where is he?"

No one answered, snouts pulled up in smiles that looked far too threatening for their own good and Yuupika couldn't help but pout. _Che. Alright then. It's not like I can't do it myself._ She expanded her range and found him in

"Yuu-chan," The enormous mammal nodded to her. "Back so soon?"

"Ah, yeah." She smiled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She felt the vestiges of her humanity returning to her after so many hours. She had been told the pool had a lingering side effect of intense apathy and Yuupika recognized how true that was now, as the smile on her face felt much more natural. She hadn't even realized that she had probably been grimacing at people while waiting for the hole in her ribcage to fill. Maybe it was this place? It was dark and warm, it smelled like earth and now it felt like home. "I'm eager to learn."

"I see," He easily agreed and beckoned her closer. She complied and like she had been doing so all her life, she sat down at his feet, awaiting his words with a strong thrum of her heart in her ears. It was always calming to listen to the rush of her own bodily systems. In this cave, as rich and brimming with nature chakra as it was, everything was amplified tenfold. The breath of Homura pushing against her cheeks was like layers and layers of insulation being wrapped around her, and her hyperfocus caught the slow movement of his wide chest and the tint in his eyes as he considered his next words. True calm. It was true calm. "I won't lie to you," He began, unnaturally serious like he was when they first met. "How well you learn what I teach you is being observed and recorded. You are being evaluated as the first summoner of the Bat Colony and if you prove yourself, you might become more than just that." The girl stiffened with the confession, but she didn't waver – _not even for a second, I will not fail_ – and she heard the nearly inaudible whine in her lungs when she breathed deeply.

"I will exceed all expectations." _That is a promise._ Homura nodded once, and Yuupika felt her skin cool with relief that she didn't otherwise show as he recognized it.

"As expected of our summoner." Those words were familiar, but she didn't dwell on them. The boss stretched out boney, warped hands and touched her head. "I will allow you to feel." He said and abruptly, she felt the nature chakra in her coils refine to a thin thread, slick and sharp like a dagger that had been primed on a whetstone. It was a fluid tendril of water that streamed through her and empowered every fiber of her being, and suddenly, Yuupika felt like she could move entire oceans and shift whole tectonic plates. Her breath had stopped short – she held onto the feeling that penetrated her so deeply until it was pulled away and the chakra in her veins became like a roaring river once again. It crashed through her system, rough on the lining of her coils like rivers were rough on its banks, wild and untamed inside of her, and Yuupika winced at how uncomfortable it suddenly was.

She understood then. True sage, yes, she had accomplished such a thing. But she was so far from mastering it, the title and _control_ were so far out of her league that it wasn't even funny. Yuu sagged with a shudder, recollecting herself. Homura watched and waited until she was finally able to look at him again, fire in her eyes.

" _Teach me_."

He smiled.

She would not emerge from the caves for the next few days.

* * *

He came in the night, as all thieves and assassins do.

Yuupika wasn't really sure what woke her, perhaps the change in temperature on her sensitive skin, but it was ultimately a quick roll that saved her from a premature beheading. She activated her senjutsu hastily as she jumped from the bed, on the other side of the room by the time the man had brought his wakizashi back up. A certain feeling of frustration and just a bit of annoyance wafted off of him and Yuupika narrowed her eyes. She scanned him hastily, searching his person for any type of identification marker.

There was nothing, no distinct outfit and no symbols that could be telling of what village he was from. Cold air, much too cold from the draft that was coming in through the open window, was freezing her legs and she absently regretting that she was in the habit of sleeping with next to nothing on. What if she was older? What if he was more twisted than the average male? The ninja business did strange things to a person's psyche – if he could kill a little girl, after all, what couldn't he do?

Yuu wrestled a hold of her full sage mode, the marking on her eyes branching out and curling over her body like snakes. And then their silent showdown was over and he lunged at her, swift and deadly, coming immediately in for another killing blow.

Yuu ducked just out of range of the blade that would have sliced her neck and gathered wind around her limbs – he'd come much too close for comfort. The air around her picked up as she rolled with the significant increase in speed and her palm found it's way to his chest, pushing him back with the force of the doton element that she formed in her hand. He didn't grunt, he didn't even make a sound. His body shuddered slightly and he skidded a few feet, but quickly recovered and went in for a slice to her side. She lithely dodged, infusing nature with Ying chakra and disintegrating the sword nearly down to the hilt and anything within a foot of her, though she was careful not to destroy the floor. She didn't really fancy falling through it and losing a chance to capture this man and interrogate him.

The shinobi let the ruined wakizashi fall out of his hands and he came at her with a paper, arm shooting out to touch any part of her skin – it was a seal, that much she could deduce and the kunoichi warily weaved out of its way. She couldn't read it, she didn't know what the hell it could do to her and she wasn't planning on finding out. Yuupika snarled as he continued his relentless assault, chasing her around the room with a fervor that only Obito really displayed in their spars. She had no weapons to combat him, they weren't stored in her room. There was little she could do to avoid him, and it was taking a hell of a lot of chakra to augment her speed just to get out of his way since he was a such a superior opponent. Jungo had not been this fast. This man must have been a jōnin. _I don't have a choice. I just can't capture him in one piece_.

She extended her circle of death again when he came close, not bothering to dodge and took off his arm all the way up to his elbow. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to bother him at all. He whipped out another seal, warm blood spurting all over the place, and came at her with his other arm. In her shock, he had almost gotten her and Yuupika realized with a healthy dose of dread that _he's not afraid to die._ She rolled out of the way of kick that should have crushed her ribs and then twisted painfully to escape a jab. _He's fully prepared to lose his life on this mission._ She reevaluated the odds of him telling her anything about where he came from or what the purpose of his actions was. Shinobi who signed up for suicide runs usually had nothing to lose.

Resignation welled up from within her. _I'm…going to have to kill him._

When he came within acceptable range again with another kick that was meant to strike her temple with brutal force, she took off the whole bottom half of his body. He dropped like a stone.

It was then that Yuu noticed the obscene amount of blood everywhere, still showering from the arm that wasn't an arm anymore ( _how can any man produce so much blood?_ ), and now his torso that had no counterpart. She stared at the intestines that drooped out of the body with nothing to hold him up, slimy and slathered with murky water and life liquid and then at his jaw as he bit down and convulsed for but a moment before frothy substance leaked from his mouth. Suicide tablet. He was dead, his brain more than likely fried beyond what any Yamanaka could salvage. She just stared at him, feeling cold.

 _Assassination. Me. ME. Who would want to assassinate me? I've done nothing but good for this world and I'm still actively trying to steer it in the right direction. Who could possibly have such an agenda?_ Yuupika slowly stretched out her hand and the rest of the man's body was gone with an exercise of her will ( _no evidence, can't leave evidence, I can't have someone breathing down my neck all day on a guard detail, I can't risk them knowing-)_. _Was it Danzo? No. He wouldn't be so bold. And ROOT agents don't have feelings, they wouldn't have acted like that man did. So who? Suna? Did they suspect me of the recent assassination of the Kazekage? How could they? There's absolutely nothing that would connect me to his murder. Nothing. It doesn't make any sense. It can't be Kiri, Obito wouldn't put out a hit on me and he certainly wouldn't allow someone else to. So, who? Iwa? Kumo? I've done nothing to them. It doesn't make sense._

Mechanically, she walked over to the open window and pushed it closed. She drew the blinds. She pulled off the shirt that was stained with blood and threw it into the fireplace, rekindling the flame that was nearly dead. It stank. It downright reeked in her room. The furniture was ruined, the bed was ruined, the expensive decor was ruined, and although there was no longer a body and a pool of blood on the floor, the spot where there had been such things still gave off a strong scent.

 _Assassination. I'm not even sure where to start looking to investigate such a thing._

Yuupika took a cotton tank top and shorts out of the drawer of the expensive ( _bloodstained, everything is-_ ) dresser and slipped them on as she exerted her control over her technique and erased any trace of blood that was on her skin. She wished she could have a strong drink. Yuu left her room, closing the door behind her and using a tendril nature chakra to lock it from the inside. She would have to settle for a black coffee.

 _Maybe…he came from River? Ame's rise did bring about the dissolution of a barely formed hidden village there. Is this revenge then?...no, he didn't seem any kind of angry. He didn't even seem to have any personal agenda. Besides his initial displeasure at my resistance, he was rather professional about the whole thing. He was calm. This couldn't have been a revenge mission. And the way he was so ready to give up his life…_

Yuupika sat down on a stool in the kitchen. She hadn't been here before since there were servants to make her food in the palace and she quite enjoyed having a break from that particular activity, so it took a bit of fishing to find what she was looking for. She had no trouble procuring her coffee, however, the motions were practically muscle memory by now, like so many other things. _Yeah. Smells good. Coffee is always nice._ It was only when hot liquid was trailing down her neck that she realized she was shaking. She had tried to take a sip from her cup and it had spilled over her lips.

Yuupika was trembling – trembling and alone.

Gingerly, she placed her mug down on the table and rested her head in her hands. Her body felt like lead. _Assassination_ _. He got past Kusa's security, he was able to slip in completely undetected. Did he use seals? Everyone is still asleep, even my S-Class family. How? How had he accomplished that? If I had been even a little slower, if I had not woken up exactly when I did…I…_ Had it been like this after she had turned Jungo Kawatake into stone? She couldn't remember clearly. Kami, she hardly even thought about him anymore. Everything ugly and disturbing that interfered with her perfect life was unceremoniously shoved to the back of her head to collect dust. _And that's what I've always done, right? That's what I've always done…_

 _It doesn't matter. This doesn't change anything, I still know what it is I need to do. I cannot fail. A few attempts on my life are nothing. I can push through it. This is how shinobi live every day and they aren't reduced to…this. This is pathetic. I'm strong. I can be strong. I can be stronger. I will not fail._

It took her a few minutes, but with deep breaths and methodical counting, Yuu was able to bring herself down from her frenzied state. _It's fine, I'm fine._ She called upon the icy apathy that she remembered after being pulled up from the pool of reflection and it came like water from a faucet – not completely because there was absolutely no way any human could dislodge their soul so fully like the pool had, but just enough so that it was a comfort until she trusted her emotions again. She drank the rest of her strong brew with her little leather book in front of her, still filled with ideas and stuffed with loose papers that she had scribbled on when she ran out of space on the pages. She skimmed through it, distracting herself with all the little projects she had yet to get to and which ones she should set about doing first on top of everything else she had going on.

 _Assassination,_ a little voice in the back of her head repeated. _I need Zetsu to get to the bottom of it._

Yuu didn't sleep any more that night and when morning came, first light found her reading a book in one of the many sunrooms that could be found throughout the palace. Stained-glass windows made the usually soft green rays turn different shades of dark that intertwined beautifully and captured attention unexpectedly. It was lovely and it made her seriously consider having more windows installed in the HQ back in Ame. A servant came by mid-morning with creamy coffee and a croissant, suspiciously the same breakfast that she had thoroughly enjoyed just days ago, though she was otherwise undisturbed until noon. She was reading a book about the warrior Tsukino, in a time before there was chakra, and his trials all across the elemental nations (that were not called the elemental nations back then) as he strove to find and exact revenge on the man who murdered his brother. Yuu grudgingly admitted that it was actually a pretty solid book. She was very taken with it, the concept was pretty original and it was packed with plenty of action to keep her on the edge of her seat. _This would be an excellent movie._

She saw him long before he actually arrived – her senses were spread all throughout the palace and a ways beyond in lingering paranoia and as such, she was not surprised to see Kakuzu when he opened to door to the room she was in. Yuu looked up at him and his supremely unimpressed expression. "Is there any particular reason _why_ your room is covered in blood?" She really thought he would have been more…well, _panicked_ about the situation.

"I tried regrowing the limb of a dog with my chakra. It didn't go so well." The girl already had an excuse lined up just in case, though. _But why? Why should I have to lie? Why do I feel like I have to lie?_ Exasperation glimmered in the man's stern orbs and he sighed.

"Orochimaru is a bad influence on you, brat. The cost of damages _will_ be coming out of your personal accounts, I hope you know that." He griped, and then the robes that he had been holding in his folded arms were thrown towards her. She caught them of course, noticing the design was identical to the one on the robes the miser was wearing. Regal, dripping with the smell of fragrance and new money.

"We're leaving so soon?" Secretly, she couldn't have been happier. The novelty of being in Kusa had worn off last night.

"The journey is long." _It's always long. Journeys are always long and arduous._

 _What will become of me this time?_

Yuupika held his attention and there was something in her gut that just wouldn't let her rest easy in the knowledge that her precious people would surround her like blankets and make numb her pain if she let them know of it. "I know."

They left just shy of an hour after that, after Yuu had taken the quickest shower in her life, pulled up her long hair into a high knot, and applied as little makeup as she could get away with. She shifted in her clothes uneasily as the crowd saw them out – and while before she was delighted in their presence, now she felt the frigid wisps of discontent and malice like an old friend tug between her ribs. _And here these people are, I can recognize them from any picture or profile, pretending like three years ago didn't happen._ The familiar faces were stretched wide with grins, even when they were far clear from the city, making their way towards the salt flats and ranging mountains of Earth. _Making slaves of their own kin, the young ones that ought to be protected, breaking sworn oath between protector and protected, guardian and child, loving and loved –_

Yuupika almost choked on a breath but steadied herself before it became a vocal thing. Somehow, her quiet demeanor was enough to relay to the others that she wanted to be alone, so she sat in the darkness of her carriage, her senjutsu spread so far and wide and intent on every detail that it only took seconds before she picked up on the subtle pattern of bug crawls. Men studied their whole lives to accomplish such a thing. _These people are not loving,_ Yuu had to remind herself, she always had to remind herself even if it was in her deepest sleep, lest she forgets the truth of humanity. _This is true nature – the animal instinct to protect yourself above all others, to survive and scrape your way through the grime and muck, hollow of dignity or honor, just to see another day._

She didn't know if she was any different. She needed to be different. She needed to make it right. She would have to see the colony again soon.

 _Assassination._


	28. It's Just a Feeling That I Have

A/N: Yo!

This is late. I'm sorry. I've done a lot of thinking about DP lately and decided that no, I'm not gonna do a harem story. Instead, Yuu-chan will have...two lovers. MAYBE three. Like, a big maybe. We'll see. Anyways. Thanks for all your reviews and PMs and all your kind words. I love and appreciate you all so much.

Just so everyone knows and has a reference, I use xShadowRebirthx's Elemental Nations Political Map, found on DeviantArt.

Enjoy.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto...fuck. Also, Ryouku is a creepy creeper.

* * *

Earth was beautiful in a way that Yuupika was not accustomed to, yet was still pleasantly surprised by. It was all sloping canyons and proud plateaus like the shoulders of a warrior, strong like the sages of the old legends – this land had been forged from trials and adversities and great battles like tides sweeping over and remaking the dirt over and over again. Yuupika could feel it in the chakra here, she could feel it down to her very bones. It called to her like some kind of siren to synergize, to connect and sink down below so it can reveal all of it's hidden treasures.

The girl breathed deeply, shuddering so bodily that something in her back ached from the tremors. This instinct, primal, it was what let her know that even if she had been born and raised in Ame, Iwa was her home. Her first chakra nature was that of soil and it begged to be used, molded by the dense and rich grounds here. She barely resisted and the thought was back again. Iwa was her home. Konoha was foreign and lovely, Kusa was pleasant and reserved, but Iwa ran deep like the oceans and held her with certainty. The chakra was one of strength, loyalty, and oh-so-fierce certainty.

She was half tempted to put her bare feet on the waiting ground, but she resisted because she feared that she might never leave if she did. Yuu would have to wear shoes at all times while she was here. She was already enamored, just a breath away from being completely taken over.

 _Kami, it's so beautiful..._

Was this how all earth wielders felt when they returned to the source? She supposed that this part of the reason why Iwagakure yielded some of the most steadfast soldiers in all the nations _. 'It is the call of the land_ ,' a working woman had quietly told her when she visited the cafeteria in Ame's tower. Classes were in session, they were alone, sitting at one of the deserted tables and she had been looking right through Yuupika, towards the west, a thousand miles away. ' _The feeling of the sun beating down proudly on your chest, crowning you with honor and feeding you strength._ _Bathe in my light, it says._ _Walk with my blessing. Speak with reverence of my name._ _You'll know it when you feel it – it's undeniable, it grips your soul._ '

Yuupika thought it was just hearsay, the remnants of an old religion faded with time and wars. Now she understood. She believed.

"Ame-hime."

Yuupika blinked at the boy, abruptly coming out of her thoughts. _The spitting image of Sai._ That was her first impression of him. He was pretty, or rather, he had a very pleasing and symmetric look about his features. He didn't really have any defining traits though – he looked like a mannequin almost. Like Sai. He kissed her hand with practiced delicacy, his eyes closed and crinkled in a way that was similar to Kakashi, before straightening. His thumb made a subtle pass over her skin just as he released her. "I'm glad you've arrived safely."

And they did. It was a journey of a long eight days, in which she had spent much time either with Zetsu or by herself, and even though she had reports and projects that kept her occupied, it was awfully boring. "Thank you," Yuupika smiled in return, as genuine as she could make it. "Though, it would be nice to know who was so glad of my arrival to be waiting at the gates."

The teen didn't have an embarrassed bone in him. He took the comment in stride, still smiling. "Why, of course. I am Ryouku Nishiyama, heir of the Nishiyama clan. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Black Zetsu had told her of this clan. They guarded an explosion release that was entirely unique to Iwagakure, their vast numbers making up a good portion of the explosion corps. He had also told her of a certain young man that Obito had seen potential in. _I wonder if I'll get to interact with Deidara while I'm here? Hmm…_ "Likewise," Yuupika barely missed a beat in the budding conversation. "I am Yuupika Uzumaki."

Ryouku glanced over towards their superiors – the Tsuchikage, his father, and her father – before looking back towards her conspiratorially. "Shall I show you around?"

"That would be great." She would be lying if the mischief in his eyes didn't excite her and make her wary all the same. _Maybe I can have some fun?_ The boy's fingers twitched with a minuscule rush of chakra, and then a small explosion went off some ways to their left. Everyone immediately turned to face it and Yuu found herself being swept off her feet and suddenly launching forward, high in the air. Arms of developing muscle held her tight to a hard chest and she blinked at seeing the village below her as her senjutsu rushed to accommodate. It was an obvious tier-like structure, the whole city built on a range of small mountains, so unlike the flat plains and rolling hills of Kusa and Konoha. The stately buildings were on top, with bridges and landings between them to make travel easy, far removed from the filth and common of the valleys. Barely a second had passed when a voice thundered in their wake –

"RYOUKU!"

"That's my father." The teen informed her conversationally, the smile ever-present on his face.

"He sounds quite incensed." Yuu pointed out, an eyebrow quirking in amusement. The boy took a horizontal route, bouncing swiftly between the sides of the mountains like a ping pong ball in random directions to shake off their ANBU pursuers. A sequence of seven, one-handed seals behind her back conjured earth clones to throw them off further.

"He's easy to rile, with a temper like that." Ryouku suddenly doubled back, and straight into a mountain, the surface of which he passed right through and into a large cavern. Yuu saw the chakra haze there, tell-tale signs of a genjutsu. The ANBU passed by them a second later and Ryouku let his breaths deepen and even out.

"It seems you have quite a lot of experience running from the special forces of your village."

"The Himitsu-gun?" He prompted. _Ah. So they're different from ANBU._ "Yes, I've been a menace to them from a very young age."

Yuupika laughed, imagining little Naruto in the same situation. "I see. I think it's safe to put me down now, you know."

"Of course." She was put gently on her feet, fingers on her waist in a light grip to keep her steady, although she really didn't need it. _He's really touchy, isn't he? Well, he is a thirteen-year-old boy. I'm told they have unbelievable hormones._ Yuu suppressed a sigh, using her ability to map out the space they were in and subtly twisting to force his pesky digits to leave her. Black Zetsu told her that Ryouku was quite the troublemaker, though he presented himself as unfailingly polite and well-mannered. He would often disappear for several hours during the day and was generally nowhere to be found at night. It irked white Zetsu to no end. She was told to be wary of the Iwagakure chūnin, even if he didn't have a history of unnecessary violence or law-breaking. Yuu was sure she could hold her own if worst came to worst, though.

The two were in what looked to be a chemistry lab, which greatly surprised the girl. This was not something Black Zetsu had reported. "Do you like it?" Ryouku smiled again, staring at her. "I have amassed a great collection of poisons over the years." _Poison users in Iwagakure? That's new._

"It's extraordinary," Yuu said airly, walking forward to better study his equipment. Her companion trailed behind her contentedly. She wasn't lying, really. He had quality materials, his workstations all clean and tidy, everything stored away and categorized for easy retrieval and use. It reminded her of Orochimaru's lab, though the snake generally kept the newest and best equipment on hand at all times. Ryouku's models were still relatively new, though she could identify that they were released a few years ago by the designs. He'd taken her here to impress her, she knew.

"Would you like to see some?" Her eyes began to light up, but a man in dark clothing crashed into the cave before she could answer. The two whipped around to face him.

"Ryouku-sama." The figured greeted, adjusting his strange ( _unfamiliar_ ) armor plates and his mask. _He's Himitsu-gun._ "Your father is searching for you."

"I know." _What a cheeky little shit._ The agent looked mildly annoyed somehow.

Yuu turned her head to see her own father enter her range, his rinnegan eyes very seriously staring right into hers through the walls. She blinked. He could see her so clearly? Through the genjutsu too, he knew directly where her pupils were. He looked her up and down, taking note of her condition and then her proximity to the foreign nin beside her before his attentions reached her eyes again. The girl knew then that Pain would give zero fucks if they had to flee the city because she was forced to kill the Nishiyama heir. She nodded.

' _I'm okay.'_

Pain seemed to accept this and as such, he turned to the raving man who was the Nishiyama clan head and spoke a few quiet words that nearly abated his anger. With grudging eyes that glanced around still promising revenge, he grumbled something back and the two turned to go on their way. Yuupika felt her lips almost quirk into a smile –

A chill down her spine. The conversation in the room had died down somewhat and Yuu looked over the lab again to hide the muted discomfort of seeing Ryouku staring at her with intent, fingers cupping his chin consideringly.

"Are you listening to this Yuupika-san? HIGU-san says we must return to the surface and any further excursions will be supervised. How un-fun." The boy suddenly sighed and his smile came back full force. Yuu turned to him.

"Ah…how unfortunate."

* * *

Her finger stilled over the send button. She swallowed.

 _Don't be a coward. Just do it! You need to do it. Come on. It's easy. It's a button, just-_

Her finger applied a modicum of pressure and the message sent, a beep echoing in the quiet room. Yuupika blinked in shock.

And then her heart thundered in her chest and she gasped, dropping her phone on the bed. _"Oh my god!_ " She quietly squeaked in French, slapping her head into her hands. " _I did it!_ "

"Yuupika?" There was a knock at the door.

"What!" She bit out, harsher than she intended and she grimaced. There was silence for a beat and then-

"Dinner's ready," Sasori said and her face reddened.

"O-Oh. Thanks." Yuu watched as he nodded and left, knowing she could see him. She sighed, rolling away from her position near the pillows and towards the carved footboard, her face still pressed against her palms. Why the hell was she so nervous?! _It's just a text…_

A strong vibration made her frantically roll back towards her pager and grab it like it was a lifeline. Her heartbeat was going off again and she could feel it pulsing in her face. _That was fast._

Slowly, she brought it towards her and clicked the button to turn on the screen.

' _From: Itachi :)_ '

She breathed out shakily. Took a moment to breathe in again. She opened it.

' _From: Itachi :)_

 _Hi. I am well.'_

Yuupika deadpanned. _He's socially awkward and I haven't spoken to him in months. What the hell did I expect, a thoughtfully written paragraph?_ Another vibration had her focusing on the screen again in surprise and she opened the next message.

' _From: Itachi :)_

 _Im gay'_

 _Wha…what?_

Another vibration. She dumbly looked at the incoming text.

 _'_ _From: Itachi :)_

 _I am not gay, Shisui stole my pager_.'

Yuu felt her body unwind and she laughed wholeheartedly. Shisui. Of course. He had always been described as the more lighthearted of the two. She quickly typed out her response.

 _'_ _To: Itachi :)_

 _I believe you. Maybe Shisui's gay. What have you been up to in the past few months? Sorry I didn't text you sooner.'_

She pressed send, let the phone rest on her chest as she looked out the window. It was a beautiful night, devoid of moonbeams despite the cloudless sky, but still rich with the sounds of insects and laughter. Her window was partially open to let the ambiance flow and she was thankful that whoever built this house had the sense to install bug screens. Everyone else was still getting settled, but Yuu had already tucked away from everything in her suitcases in the right places and was quite content to spend the rest of her night lounging. She wasn't even hungry.

Her mind drifted to the events of the day – her brief time with one clan heir in particular.

 _Those eyes._ A picture of the preteen floated around within her and she felt a lick of unease on her spine. _Those eyes. Where have I seen them before?_

A vibration. She lifted the device.

' _From: Itachi :)_

 _I'm glad. Shisui vehemently denies your claim. I have been training under a talented shinobi in preparation for advancement. I am learning and improving a great deal. Perhaps we can have a rematch whenever you visit Konoha again. Though, I do believe it would be better if I were to visit you. I understand why you did not contact me sooner. The circumstances which forced your departure were more than unfavorable. I would like to thank you for saving my life that day. How are you? My parents have asked about you.'_

Yuupika couldn't help but smile despite his lack of tact because there was absolutely no way he typed that much on his own. Shisui was still there, she guessed, leaning over his shoulder and helping him communicate as best as he could. _He's probably just as annoyed as he is embarrassed right now. How cute._

 _'_ _To: Itachi :)_

 _It was no trouble. I'm better. Thank you for asking and please send your parents my warmest regards. Shisui is a dirty liar. It's good that you've been diligent in your training, I'm sure you've improved leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, I can't quite say the same about myself. I've recently started again, though, and I hope to make up for lost time. I wouldn't mind you coming to visit me, but I'm afraid it can't be for another few months, at least. I'll let you know. Ame holds a quiet beauty that I think you would appreciate. Anyway, you should keep working hard, or else I might still kick your pretty butt when we spar again!'_

Yuupika pressed send, imagining his soft laugh on the other end of the phone. It made her smile.

 _Everything's going according to plan._

* * *

Yuu woke up to a light shake on her shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered open as her senjutsu switched on and a confused noised vibrated in her throat. _Huh?_ "Tou-chan...?"

Kakuzu brushed a tousled lock away from her cheek, then scratched off a bit of dried drool with his thumb. "Mn."

"What time is it?" She asked, stretching her arms above her head and popping her shoulders. Soft, green light poured in through the windows, sprawling across the floor.

"Early." He said, his long hair spilling over his shoulders in a way that was familiar. She lingered on the waterfall of it, her skin tingling in the place where she usually felt the sensation, and then her thoughts were taken with the next thing coming along, which was his hand pulling back the blankets. "Up."

Yuu pulled herself forward and slumped over on his shoulder, "I'm tired."

He nudged her arms and she held them above her head so he could take off her shirt. "I know," Kakuzu intoned. "You need to get used to waking up early."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." He repositioned her legs to lay across his lap and hooked an arm underneath her bottom, then picked her up and headed over to the bathroom. Yuu rested her forehead on his jaw, comfortable in the hold that Kakuzu often used with her since she was ( _still am_ ) little. He sat at the edge of the tub and turned on the hot water. "Lift."

She angled her hips so he could slide off her panties, eyeing the jets on the side of the basin a little disbelievingly. "Is this a jacuzzi?"

Kakuzu looked at it briefly, "Yes."

"Nice," She said as she grinned. _I've never had one of those before. Maybe we can have it installed back at home?_ "How does it work?"

The former taki nin frowned, examining it. "Hm…" His finger moved to a switch on the side and flicked it. There was a rumbling noise, the water level lowered slightly from where it was almost half of the way full, and a few seconds later, it rushed back out forcefully.

"Nice," Yuu said again and she climbed off of him to drop herself into the water. It splashed over the sides, wetting Kakuzu over his thigh and his hip and dripping on the floor. She giggled at his less than amused expression and his annoyed sigh as he stood.

"Very funny," He grumbled as he walked over to the adjoining closet and pushed the pocket door aside. "Now, what are you wearing today?"

Yuupika hummed in contemplation as she whisked the bottle of liquid soap that was presented on the corner of the tub near the wall and poured it out into the pool. It dissolved with lazy swirls of her hand. Her mind drifted to the mental map she had made of Iwagakure yesterday night after Itachi had gone to bed to be up early for his mission, and she spread her senjutsu far out. There was a small, secluded training area about a ten-minute walk from where the Amegakure party was staying. _I did tell Itachi I would kick his ass, didn't I? I gotta keep my promises._ "Training clothes."

Kakuzu raised a brow at her where he was sifting through different robes. "Oh? I thought perhaps you'd like to explore the city more."

"No...maybe later," The girl rolled her shoulders to relax them as a tendril of nature chakra shut off the water and her miser mimicked the action by shrugging. The jets on by her shoulderblades sputtered on, massaging her muscles nicely. Yuu let out a happy sigh. Kakuzu passed through the bathroom with a shirt and threequarters pants that both bore Ame's symbol proudly and placed them at the foot of the bed, along with an open pair of sandals. He stepped back in and sat on the tub's wide rim.

"So," He began, looking almost annoyed. Yuu stared up at him questioningly while she rubbed over her skin with soapy water. "The Land of Rivers is going bankrupt."

She cocked her head, not sure what this had to do with her, and then repeated, "Bankrupt?"

"Oh, yes," Kakuzu muttered. "They've no hidden village and their lands are too soggy to properly grow food. Their textile and pottery culture is not enough to sustain them. They're in crisis – so much so that they've offered Ame a deal."

A beat of silence. "Are you saying-"

" _Yes,_ " He hissed. "Leader-sama has requested I inform you so you two can discuss it later. However, I will make myself clear, if you decide to do this, the money is coming directly out of your personal accounts and eighty percent of all profit made from Rivers will be routed to Ame's treasury."

Yuupika _beamed_ at him even though he scowled and seared holes into the wall with his glare. _Is there even a question?_ "Deal! I want to buy it!"

Kakuzu turned his stink eye on her. "This is not becoming a practice, Yuupika. You will not continue to buy small countries, I forbid it."

"No promises~!" She sang.

* * *

"Do you train often?"

Yuupika thrust her bokken forward, the end of a kata, and retreated back to standing position. The wooden sword slid through the loop of the belt secured to her waist and she clapped her hands together, bowing respectfully to her invisible opponent. Then she turned, facing the boy who was ambling towards her from the opposite end of the training ground.

"Not as often as I'd like," Yuu revealed. Ryouku came to a stop in front of her. She valiantly squashed the urge to back away – she had to at least, well…give him a chance or something. She did just barely get here, it was too early still to be passing final judgment on his character. "There are many things that clutter my schedule."

Almond-shaped eyes roved over her. "It's admirable that you still find time for everything, then."

She laughed unexpectedly, because that was definitely not true, and tucked rogue strands of hair behind her ear that escaped her ponytail. "Not quite. So, what brings you here?"

"Just seeking the pleasure of your company. I only have you for a month, now, don't I?"

"Yes, true." Yuupika fixed the ends of her shirt that had ridden up and strode forward, trusting he would take a position beside her if he wanted to continue the conversation. "I can't imagine you would like to train much in those clothes though."

He hummed, smoothing over his clan robes idly. "My father would throw a fit."

She smiled lopsidedly, trying to picture Kakuzu flushing with anger and babbling nonsensically as she stood before him wearing torn silk. _He would certainly mourn the loss of funds going into getting me a new one._ "I figured."

"Hungry for lunch?" Ryouku prompted, smiling. Yuu glanced over at the scraggly trees on her right, charting the angle of the sunbeams as they filtered through the leaves. _One, maybe two in the afternoon? I've been going for a while now. I need to replenish my energy._

"That would be nice. Do you have anything in mind?"

"In fact, I do." His next stride was longer than the rest and he subtly took the lead. "Do you mind a little walking? The restaurant is a bit far, but it's worth the wait."

"That's fine." She assented. Her training wear was of good quality. She hadn't worn any makeup, so besides looking a little shiny, her face was immaculate. Her hair could be redone, though…

Ryouku eyed Yuu's dainty looking hands as they freed her ever-growing hair and carded through what she could reach of it. There weren't many knots, but it was getting slightly tangled, so it took more time than she expected to tie it up again. Yuu was just finishing when they made it back to the main roads. "Will you continue to grow it?"

"Perhaps." She shrugged. "I've never cut it, you know."

His eyes slanted over to her in surprise. "Oh? It's stayed so healthy?"

"Yup!" She popped her 'p' happily, though she knew damn well that the only reason her hair was so perfect was that nature chakra was running through her all the time. It wasn't as if she pampered it with expensive products and took constant care of it - she really just washed it a few times a week...

Ryouku stared at something in the distance, his smile slowly widening. There was a flash of teeth that was quickly hidden. "My mother would kill for your secrets."

"Many women would."

"Oh, look, there's my father." Yuu followed the gesture of Ryouku's head, looking off to see a seething man on a mountaintop diagonal to theirs, making a scene amongst a group of shops.

"He really does have a temper…" She said mutedly, reluctantly fascinated by the sheer amount of chakra swirling about his face as he violently waved a bag of money. He must have been like a bright tomato.

"Mmm." Her companion's eyes narrowed and something like annoyance ghosted over his features. It was gone as quickly as it came, which Yuu thought was good because such an emotion looked threatening on him. _Don't step away from him, it'll look bad to the public eye._ "Foolish man." The girl chose not to comment on that and they walked in silence over pathways and bridges until Ryouku veered off to the right, a hand securing itself on her back to keep her with him as they accosted a building. _So touchy_. "I come here often," he told her as he nodded to the waiter standing outside. The man quickly opened the door, a rush of appetizing aromas hitting them, and led them through towards a small booth in the back. Menus were set down in front of them.

"Get anything you like."

Yuu hummed as she opened the laminated booklet, leafing through. She didn't really feel like having anything fancy, nor did she want regular noodles…maybe a traditional lunch meal? _Some rice, fish, miso soup, pickled vegetables…_ her stomach grumbled quietly as she closed the menu.

"Ready to order?" Ryouku asked, still skimming through his own.

"Yeah. So, how has your day been so far?" Yuu asked politely, leaning forward on her elbows to express interest. The teen flicked over her stance before setting what he was handling down and giving her his full attention.

"Oh, swell. I shook loose a whole squad of HIGU this morning. They're really after me lately." Ryouku waved a hand flippantly. "Not to lay blame, but it's probably because of your presence. I think they would rather I don't do anything mischevious and embarrass our country while you're here." Yuupika laughed and he shifted closer at the sound of it. "How is your stay in Iwagakure so far?"

"I like it. Earth is my primary chakra nature, so it feels nice to be surrounded by the same…frequency." She divulged, and his eyes lit up with interest.

"Oh? I didn't know. I'm lightning natured." Her heart skipped a beat as the eyes of a tiger flashed through her head and the phantom pain of a spear of lightning clipping her shoulder made her involuntarily shudder. Ryouku noticed. "Are you cold?"

"Ah, no." She edged back on the bench, crossed her arms over her torso. Slim digits brushed over the healed skin before dropping again, even though they didn't mean to and they didn't do so consciously. _The hell? Why is this coming up now? It's been years!_

"Hey," Yuu startled at the sight of his fingers gliding across the table abruptly to rest halfway and catch her attention with quick taps. She focused on him.

"Sorry."

"Not to worry, Ame-hime."

He was smiling. Still looking at her with interest.

* * *

"So…what?"

Obito stared blandly at her. They were in his personal dimension. He was lecturing her after a lengthy taijutsu match that left her right arm aching badly and her ankle swollen. She longed for the familiar feel of Konan's healing. "That's what you are to answer. How would you react in such a situation?"

"Well…" Yuupika scratched her arm. "I would hide my teammate in a secure area, and then try to catch the target as swiftly as I could."

"Incorrect," The Uchiha shook his head. "Try again."

Her brow furrowed, confusion coloring her tone when she spoke, "What do you mean 'try again'? That's the best way to ensure that my teammate lives and I complete the mission."

"And that's the problem." He stated. "You are assuming that you should save your teammate."

She blinked. "…sorry?"

"It would take at least one minute to properly address and hide your teammate, in the best conditions. One minute is enough for your target to slip away with or pass on the information to a waiting accomplice and for you to fail your mission. That is unacceptable."

"I can't just leave my teammate to die!" She protested, a wave of anger stiffening her posture where she sat on the floor. Across from her, Obito was relaxed and observant.

"Kill him, then. Or will you be another White Fang, the cause of a whole shinobi world war, who saved the lives of a few to damn the lives of many?" He asked calmly. "Are you willing to save Sasori and kill the rest of Akatsuki?"

 _Save Sasori…and lose Kaa-san? Tou-san? Oji-maru? Tou-chan? Even Obi-_

Obito stood to his feet, sighing. "I think that wraps up our lesson on battle situations and tactics for today. I'll hear your answer in our next meet." He touched her arm, not waiting for her to rise with him and transported them back to her room. It took her a second to regain her sense of setting and by then, her mentor was already gone.

Yuupika let the resentment well up inside of her for a long minute, stewing in silence and feeling her chakra rush through her coils like a wild river – _he's changed so much, I don't know how to save him, how am I going to save him, what if I can't save him_ – then she killed it, rammed it down with the force of a titan deep into her stomach where it would not reemerge for a time. Her foot tapped on the wooden floor, a pulse of chakra going into the ground and panning out, and Black Zetsu dutifully came racing towards her.

" **Sister?** " He prodded as he rose halfway up.

She breathed again, long and slow. "Zetsu. What can you tell me about Project Replacement thus far?"

The being shifted, most likely surprised at her inquiry. This was one of those long-term projects that they didn't talk of much. " **We have several successful infiltrations. Three more White Zetsu are shadowing and observing potential candidates. I predict that another infiltration might be possible within the next month.** "

Yuupika stared at him, processing this information. She knew that things were progressing as fast as possible, but she still couldn't help feeling frustrated that everything was so slow. "I see. Is there any way to make our methods more efficient? Get more of our own planted in a shorter amount of time?"

Black Zetsu shook his head. " **Not without compromising the operation. Every successful infiltration must be undetectable. Even one of our agents being discovered would result in total failure of the mission.** "

Yuu ran a hand through her hair irately, nails harsh on her scalp. "…right. Can we dispatch more White Zetsu then?"

" **No. Too many replacements in quick succession would draw too much suspicion. They must take place slowly and one at a time to ensure success."**

"Okay," She sighed, soothing herself. "Okay. It'll just take a little more time then. Right." The girl began to strip as she plodded over towards her bathroom, hiding a wince as her ankle protested painfully. A good night's sleep would take care of the problem, but damn, if it wasn't annoying now. "What about the new base for the Ashita Plan?"

" **Completed.** "

She allowed herself a satisfied smile. "Good. Relocate Gaara there and keep him sedated until further notice."

" **Will we extract the Ichibi?** " Black Zetsu was wholly unperturbed by her nudity, unblinking orbs watching as she twisted and turned the temperature knobs of the jacuzzi.

"Not yet." She quickly told him. _Gaara cannot die yet._ "Not for another few years, at least. It's much too early." Yuu hummed pleasantly as she found the perfect heat and closed the drain to the tub to let it fill. "You can proceed with fixing his seal and erasing and altering his memory, just as we discussed. I'm assuming our agents have replicated his sand technique?"

He nodded. " **Our variant is not as strong considering the amount of time we had to break it down, but it should do.** "

"That's fine. Clear out a few towns in Mountain and Fang with it, make sure to raid a few houses and disturb the food and water. Try not to be seen, but in the event that you are, I want you to take Gaara's chakra and transform into his likeness before you leave so that it can't be linked back to us." The girl took a small tub from the sink counter beside her (she'd have to thank Kakuzu later for having this ready for her) and opened it to sprinkle homemade powdered soap into the rising water, delighted in the way it dissolved and created bubbles. The scent of gardenia quickly aired. "In about…four months, take Gaara to the border of Claw, severely dehydrated and malnourished, where our patrols will discover him. I'll let you know about the exact timing."

" **Yes, sister.** "

Yuupika smiled at him, channeling warmth and affection. "Thank you, brother."

* * *

Ryouku was persistent. She'd give him that.

She had wanted time by herself to think, mostly about the release of her book today and how the public would receive it. She was sure that it would be fine because the Mistborn series did exceedingly well back in her first world and everyone generally loved a good fantasy book that was filled with wild things that were unfamiliar and magical. She was just…unsure about when she would find the time to write the next book? She really needed to learn the shadow clone jutsu one of these days…

"-and then the Tsuchikage got up to leave and nearly broke his back, you know? He really is a feeble old man. He should step down soon before he embarrasses himself. Still with me, Yuupika-san?"

Yuupika glanced over at his smiling face in the middle of inspecting a poisonous plant. She'd just seen him two days ago, they had a nice lunch. She had wanted time to herself. Somehow, he still found her - though that could be attributed to her being distracted when she usually would have noticed the teen coming her way. Yuu was cursing herself internally. "Yes, I'm still listening. Maybe Tsuchikage-sama just hasn't found a worthy successor."

Ryouku chuckled, like what she suggested was utterly ridiculous. "No, his son is more than fit to take office. Or my father, in sheer terms of power, but I don't think his temper would help any diplomatic relations. The HIGU General is quite capable as well, but he's rather bland in character, so uptight. You know, he locked me in a cell for a whole day once because I coated his mission briefs in itching powder. So un-fun! He just can't take a joke." _That's what he considers a joke? Oh, Kami…_

"So, his son is a strong candidate?" Yuu deigned not to give that last part any attention. She'd rather not show interest and inevitably get roped into doing something that would not end well…

"Yes. Level-headed, experienced, reasonable, just the right amount of charismatic while also being strict. Not quite as powerful as my father or the HIGU general, but he's smart, so he stands a good chance of outwitting his opponents. He's Jounin Commander, you know."

"I see." She nodded. "So, why hasn't Tsuchikage-sama stepped down yet?"

"Pride," Ryouku stated instantly, looking across the greenhouse they stood in, to the caretaker some rows away. "He doesn't want to admit he has passed his prime. He thinks he knows what's best for this country because he's been in office for so long. But that's not true." The teen raised a lightly muscled appendage and brushed the back of his knuckles over the petals of a foxglove flower, his smile gentle and knowing. "Pride is the downfall of all great men."

"Wise words," She murmured, unsettled.

* * *

She was wildly uncomfortable. It must have been noticeable in the tense lines of her body as they walked because the civilians eyed her like vultures who were sizing up something that didn't know it was already dead. She didn't like it. Yuupika huddled closer to her (regrettably) only protector and guide around these parts, the hand on his forearm curling like a claw to grasp his skin more firmly. She wanted her family. Why had she let him take her here? She'd barely known him for a week! Ryouku glanced over at her, the ever-present smile on his face sorely out of place. _That's right - because he wouldn't stop bothering me. I could only make up so many excuses..._

"Not to worry, Ame-hime." The words were less than reassuring. _I'll have to believe him though. What other choice do I have? I should prepare to kill some people, just in case, I guess._ Someone began to reach for her, spindly fingers like little wraiths that she was prepared to disintegrate, but Ryouku tilted his head in their direction, and they withdrew as if licked by fire. "They won't touch you."

Yuupika's amber orbs narrowed slightly as they came to rest on him. "Where are we going?"

"On a walk, don't you see?" He flippantly responded with a careless gesture of his free hand. "Though, there is an errand I would like to attend to."

"Was my presence truly required?" She couldn't quite keep the annoyance out of her tone. It didn't phase him a bit.

"I like your company."

 _Something's off about him._

Yuupika tore her attention away from his plastic expression and back to the roads in front of her. It was dark down here, even when it was plainly daytime up above – the green sunbeams didn't quite reach where they needed to, thus many paper lanterns were hung off the sides of buildings. It actually didn't do much. Yuu could tell by the shades of the shadows and the glow. _The Akasen, huh. What business does he have down here? He obviously belongs in the top tier society and he's not trying to hide it._ She scanned him with her senjutsu again, this time going through fabric. _Ah – a lone kunai strapped to his hip, just over some rolled up parchment. A delivery job? And something pointy for protection. He's blatantly displaying his status here, yet no one will approach or challenge. They defer to him, on body language alone. In tune with his movements, they turn to him instinctively as he walks past, conversations continue, but they await…something from him. Is this respect for his clan?_ A slim brow furrowed, then smoothed out just as quickly. _Doubtful. The classes are painfully split here, and not without bad blood by the topic of some of the conversations going around. He's someone to respect here, even when they seem more than a little spiteful towards individuals of status._

 _He is top dog? Or close to it. I wouldn't put it past him with all that poison he was flaunting, he's probably killed the competition. He's got the power to make them obey, obviously. Less than amicable relations with his father, he's rebellious. Selfish. Confident. Cunning. He fits the bill. This is his side of town._

Yuu relaxed into him a bit and his bicep twitched before he relaxed into her, making the way they molded into each other much more intimate. Eyes turned away. It would be best to make herself an ally in his domain. Fighting a man on his home ground, among his supporters, was a bad idea. Nature chakra had never been more ready to move at her beck and call. The ease of her tension allowed her to hold her head a bit higher and walk more gracefully. Ryouku noticed.

They reached a tavern of sorts, not shadier than any of the rest around, but huddled in a corner of rock that bowed back into the mountainside and didn't draw attention. It was unusual because it was obvious that business wasn't doing too well, so why would anyone set up their establishment where it didn't entice people to come inside? Yuu pushed her chakra outwards to scan the inside of the building, strengthening her hold on the technique and pushing a little more to make the walls and doors seem transparent – and she subsequently felt a warning from her instincts sweep through her form. It was quiet inside and false panels etched with genjutsu gave way to hidden rooms and, unsurprisingly, drugs and contraband. A considerable amount of money was stored in safes and under floorboards and even in loose rocks decorating the ceilings, filing cabinets stocked full with records that Yuu couldn't quite catch all the details of – perhaps if she was in her true sage mode, she would be able to make out everything with no effort at all, but Yuupika was a kunoichi and channeling too much chakra in unknown territory was simply unacceptable for obvious reasons. No more than a trickle was coming out of her now, simply because nature was supplementing almost everything, but just in case this boy was a sensor, she didn't want to use anything more.

She would have to have Black Zetsu investigate later.

Yuupika watched with perceptive, unseeing eyes that were faced in the opposite direction as Ryouku eased himself away from her form and stepped up to the bar. He whispered words – too low for the regular human ear to make out, but Yuupika was trained by the successor of Madara Uchiha and her senses did not lie to her.

"Delivery confirmed, advance shipment requested – papers for Tarou." Her companion slipped the parchment that was hidden in his clothes around the counter and the bartender easily slid it into his pocket. It would look like nothing more than a shifting of balance for those who didn't have her brand of sight.

The man grunted and drew away from the front room, disappearing to the back. Ryouku made a subtle gesture that she knew was a beckon and she glided over willingly, keen to decrease the distance between herself and that room of filing cabinets. The more she read – _shady dealings, a mutual exchange of goods and services that flew brilliantly under the radar, a network that spanned countries_ – the more she was intrigued, the more she found herself wanting to learn everything. This building was a headquarters of some kind. Yuu stared hard at the boy beside her. Why was she here? Why would he bring her here, barely knowing her? Even if he didn't know that she was all-seeing, he should definitely know that just being here would raise extreme suspicion in her. What was his aim?

Ryouku finally looked at her, after cataloging everyone in the tavern. "I enjoy the ambiance."

Yuupika blinked, the only indicator of her internal deadpan. "I gathered. You spend a lot of time down here."

"Oh, you noticed. You're smart like that." He complimented, sounding offhand. She didn't really enjoy hearing it, even when she usually basked in the positive attention. "Say, what do you know of this country's origins?"

She tilted her head slightly, making strands of her ebon hair shift and frame her porcelain face in delicate wisps. She had been told it was quite alluring, but Ryouku's gaze didn't waver once. "It was born in lava and fire and great turmoil, until the sun willed it to steady and harden to stone and thus, it became like a great mountain."

"So the tales have certainly told." He smirked, a small thing on his lips that spoke of things she didn't know. It bothered something inside of her. She wanted to know. "I suppose in every legend, there is a grain of truth. Earth is a great mountain."

Yuupika took a few moments to consider this, and then agreed, "It's sturdy underfoot. Its call runs deep."

"Runs deep, hm?" Ryouku quirked an eyebrow and though his smile remained in place and his expression was ever-present, suddenly, Yuu had the bizarre urge to search around for chakra strings emerging from the shadows – because she had seen that synthetic face on Sasori's human puppets before, something eerie and foul, and she had seen the ice-chip orbs that were _lifeless._ "Do you ever wonder what's beneath the surface?"

She was glad then for her loose-fitting clothes, though Yuu felt that he might have seen her shudder anxiously anyway. "…what is there to discover but dirt?" Even as the words left her mouth, she remembered the allure of bare feet and the ache of being in the home her chakra yearned for, the embrace of something primal in her soul. _It isn't normal. He isn't normal._

The clan heir was silent. Smiling. The hairs on the back of her neck rose.

"Ryouku-sama." The bartender had returned, but Yuupika couldn't relax even as Ryouku easily broke eye-contact and faced the man.

"Mm? I was in the middle of the conversation, Yuuto, don't you have any manners?" The chastisement was said softly in jest, with the misplaced familiarity of long years, but it still visibly invoked a thread of fear in Yuuto.

"…please forgive me. Tarou-sama's reply." He held out another small scroll, nearly identical in size to what was previously exchanged, with his elbows drawn in towards his body. Ryouku took it and with a sleight of hand, it disappeared between the folds of his robes.

"Shall we, Yuupika-san?" He held out his arm for her and she wearily took it, not trusting herself to make it out of this place alone without killing someone and loathing that her escort had to be him. Him, who she was even more suspicious of now. Something just wasn't right with him. She thought her time here was supposed to be pleasant. Yet, despite belonging here, she wanted to leave. He led her out of the Akasen at a sedated pace, asking as he took her in his arms and bounded upwards, "Dinner tomorrow? I know an exquisite restaurant in the west district."

Yuu waited until the howl of the wind whipping around them had passed before answering. It gave her time to think. "…I suppose that would be alright." He was dangerous and she didn't like him…but he knew things. He had information that she wanted.

"Wonderful." He navigated through a few upheaved stones that shielded passerbys from the dangers of the cliff and trod onto the path beyond it. Yuu felt herself unwind somewhat, being back in the upper echelons of society. This was familiar. This was safe. Ryouku set her down on her feet, giving her just enough space to right herself but staying in her personal bubble, hands lingering where they were not causing discomfort, but were still unwelcome.

Her party's temporary residence was within sight, she then realized. At nearly the same time, Rinnegan eyes scanned and locked onto her. All tension left her body. _Safe._

Ryouku straightened and that smile was starting to really bother her. "I'll pick you up at six, then?"

"I'll be waiting."

His errant hands fell away and the boy left looking as if he never disappeared in the first place. It was no wonder that Zetsu had such a hard time following him in certain hours of the day. He was very good at operating under the radar. He was very good at not being seen in broad daylight, despite being a prestigious clan heir. It…was something Yuupika could stand to learn.

"Are you alright?"

She turned to Kakuzu, who had appeared at her side, his chakra swirling beneath his skin in a way that it didn't usually – he was worried about her. His eyes seemed to track Ryouku even as he left visual range. "I'm fine. We just took a long walk. Where is Papa?"

"Under Orochimaru and Sasori's watch. We didn't trust that he would have the sense to come out here and not cause a political incident while removing that boy from your presence."

Yuupika felt a smile bloom on her face and a giggle escape her. She could see it perfectly – her father was wildly overprotective, there was no way Ryouku would have survived if Pain had emerged instead of her level-headed miser. Kakuzu glanced down at her, fingers deftly flicking her nose. The tap was tender and the girl changed her chakra frequency effortlessly to resonate with him when he came in contact with her skin, causing a comforting tingling sensation all throughout her pathways. There was no doubt that he felt it too. His hand was a heavy, reassuring weight on her shoulder as he steered her towards the house. "Ne, can we start training together again?"

Kakuzu seemed to consider this silently for a moment. "I won't go easy on you, brat." He opened the door for her, shuffling to the side to allow her space to pass the threshold.

"I wouldn't ask for anything else."

"- _touching_ her with his _filthy hands_ -"

"Leader-sama, please-"

"-going to _die_ , I'm going to _kill_ him-"

"-other ways to handle-"

"- _will rue the day that he_ -"

"Oji-maru? Sasori-nii? Tou-san?" Her voice quieted the rabble in the house for just a second, and then her father was in front of her so fast that she hadn't even seen him move, his disgruntled eyes fixated on her.

"Are you alright? He didn't harm you in any way, did he? Where did you go? Did he touch you inappropriately?" Pain interrogated fanatically, hands flitting over her form protectively. Kakuzu sighed behind her as he locked the door and the remaining two occupants of the house rounded the corner to the foyer with weary and annoyed expressions.

"I'm fine, Papa," Yuupika reassured, fitting her hands into his to halt their frazzled movement. _He reminds me of Konan, right now._ "He just gave me a tour of the city. He did not touch me inappropriately."

Wide shoulders slumped marginally. "Good. Good. Just making sure." Pain clutched her hands firmly. "I do not like that boy. You will not marry him."

"Wouldn't dream of it," She said truthfully.

He nodded decisively, then rose and let one of her hands go. Yuu felt the vestiges of amusement in her as he intertwined their fingers and tugged her along with him back to the kitchen. Spices curled around them, evidence of Sasori's cooking in the dishes lining the sink and the pots on the stove. They sat down at the head of the table, Pain's lap just as comfortable as it had always been – in times like these, she blessed her small stature, because it allowed her to enjoy little things like this, to still be a kid in the way that counted most to her. Her father unfolded a crumpled newspaper, flipping through to the weekly crossword. It was half-filled already. _Some things never change._

"What do you make of number eight across, Yuu-chan?"

* * *

Her muscles ached. Burned in a way that she hadn't known in a while, in a way that she always remembered had felt good. She was rather loose since her cool down stretches were meant to completely relax her muscles so that she would recover quicker, so the trek back felt like she was operating on wobbly legs. Somehow, she managed to maintain a dignified appearance, though that might have been from Kakuzu's encouraging presence and the siren call of a hot shower.

"You did well today." The miser told her. "But you've been slacking with your bo."

Embarrassment flushed her cheeks. "Sorry about that. I've been working more with my bokken lately and the scrolls Juzo-nii left me."

Kakuzu grunted, the corners of his lips pulled down in dissatisfaction. It was no excuse and they both knew it. "Be sure to allow time for both."

"Of course." The girl bent her head deferentially as he walked past. It was unacceptable that she neglect training from a master who was willing and _still alive_ to teach her. Yuu's fists clenched momentarily, then she spun around to retreat to her room. _Unacceptable. Juzo's legacy is important. I will make him proud. But I cannot forget about everything else that requires my attention. I must faithfully attend to all my duties._ She stripped of her training wear, sweaty still and sticking to her skin, as she entered the bathroom. She was grateful for the way that everywhere she went, her preferences were taken into consideration and she always had a private place to clean up. Her senjutsu swept around the spacious room, focusing on the large jacuzzi tub that was singing to her. Yuu made an aborted move towards it, her rational side arresting her and egging her towards the standing shower with glass panels that would be more practical for a wash after her strenuous activities. It would also ensure that she didn't spend too much time on self-care - she had a dinner to attend in a few hours, after all. Yuupika made a strangled noise in her throat, legs locking up at her uncertainty.

 _I miss home! I never had to choose!_


	29. Underneath the Underneath

A/N: Hey, all.

I'm sorry for my absence. I just got out of a hurtful and complicated relationship. Last night, actually. I fell in deeply in love with and invested myself entirely in a man too broken and conflicted to ever return my feelings. It's really put a spin on my world.

I wrote most of this chapter through tears, needing a way to distract myself. I hope it's not too messy.

Does anyone have any good fanfic recommendations?

PM me if any of you need anything. Thank you for your patience.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Entry #428

 _He is far away_

 _I pass by the places we've been and I remember_

 _I feel his hands in mine,_

 _the warmth of his skin_

 _But when I look, he is not there_

 _And now we are approaching December_

 _and the cold is settling in_

 _Winter is marvelous and lonely without you_

 _you have tainted all my memories_

-break-

Entry #429

 _my heart is so hollow!_

 _i am tired_

 _and if i demon would take me, then take me_

 _perhaps endurance is not a virtue_

 _but a sin_

* * *

Her hair was loose, parted in the middle, with two strips on either side pulled from the front and tied in the back. Little flowers decorated the expanse of inky hair like the stars in the sky that night, though Yuu could not see them. Ryouku was more than happy to describe what it all looked like to her, from their table in the open. The restaurant he had taken her to was not really what she expected, though she felt that by now, she should be used to the surprises. The only covered areas of the establishment were the reception hall and the food preparation space – everything else, the tables, chairs, small stage for entertainment, it was outside and hidden from the rest of the world by a high wall surrounding them. The sky above was bared before the duo and green grass was presented beneath their feet, somehow thriving. She'd never dined anywhere like this.

It was lovely.

Yuupika was munching on Accras de Morue (which was excellently done, if she didn't say so herself) while listening to Ryouku speak about one thing or another. He switched back and forth between topics like a ball bounced, so it was hard to keep track after a while. She glanced at the bottle of wine set to her right and considered the benefits of pouring herself a glass. Really, it was illegal at her age, but damn if she didn't miss the taste of some good shiraz. Ryouku was sipping down the drink like it was fruit juice and Yuu was jealous. Why did he get to drink alcohol? He was thirteen! Illegal!

But he was holding his liquor quite well. This was definitely not his first time. Yuupika swallowed the fritter she had been chewing for too long, setting her fork down and tuning back into Ryouku's chatter.

"-to find any techniques, really. It's a shame I wasn't born in Kumo, though, I don't particularly care for the climate there. So moist, you know, and cold as anything. A horrible combination, I can only imagine how the citizens suffer. Anywho, my father was looking into acquiring a teacher from the warrior monk monastery near the border, which would be nice. I've been working mostly with fire, my secondary affinity and it's rather droll. You know fire is the easiest to manage out of all the elements? It's also the most common in the shinobi world. So un-fun. What do you think?"

Yuu considered it for a moment. "Fire has the rawest destructive power. It makes sense to learn more about it, you know, even if it is 'un-fun'." His eyes danced at her usage of his favorite word. "And it has the most applications for shinobi."

Ryouku cocked his head. "How so?"

"Well," Yuu drawled, readjusting herself. "Fire is necessary to generate heat, to generate light, to signal, to sanitize, to cauterize wounds, to dispose of waste, to cook, to modify the landscape…really, the possibilities are endless. You can't do nearly as much with, say, lightning. Though, the medical applications of lightning can be quite numerous if you have the right control."

"The right control, hm…" The boy cupped his cheek in his hand, propping his elbow on the edge of the table – poor etiquette, but he didn't seem too terribly concerned with that fact. "Well, my chakra reserves don't really afford me a great deal of control at this point in time, a shame…" His free hand lifted his wine glass and brought it to his lips so he could sip it. "Where would you place lightning in an order of usefulness, then?"

"Hmm…" Yuupika pursed her lips thoughtfully. "…I'd place it fourth, out of the five main elements."

"Oh?" He looked genuinely surprised by that. "And why do you say that, Yuupika-san?"

"Well, I chose fire first because it's the most versatile, as we discussed. Second, water, because it can slice, it can shear, it can be infused with poison, it can tear apart with brute force, and can be can be manipulated to be at boiling temperature or at freezing temperatures, if you have enough control. Also, unless you're in Suna, there's an abundance of it nearly everywhere. Third, wind, because it's all over, it also slices, shears, can damage with brute force, and if you have enough control, you can manipulate it to burn. Fourth, lightning, because it has various medical applications and can deal heavy damage in focused attacks, but it isn't very effective with brute force or in a widespread area. The first three elements I mentioned can be used universally. That's not to say that lightning can't be used in large-scale attacks if you have an overabundance of chakra and very good control, seeing as lightning is hard to work with, but it's just impractical otherwise."

She shrugged, then proceeded, "Lastly, earth. Now, the reason I placed this last isn't that it's weak. It's because wielding earth in an attacking manner requires a lot of chakra, good control, and an active imagination. It's primarily a strong defense element and is excellent for brute force, but there's not much you can do with it if you don't meet the three prerequisites I stated. However, if you do, I believe earth could easily be on par with fire in terms of raw destructive power."

Ryouku stroked his chin as he considered her words, Yuu taking the time to drink some water after her long-winded explanation. "…I see," He drew out, nodding. "Yes, that does make sense. I like the way you've described this to me, I hope you don't mind if I steal your words? You have a lovely way about them."

The girl lightly scoffed, "I'm not sure that I do. But sure, you can steal my words, I don't mind." _They aren't mine anyway, they're Obito's._ She smiled gratefully at the waiter who came to clear off their table and make room for the main course. She could smell it from where she was sitting, sugar and spice in her nose, and that was a bittersweet fact because it made her stomach growl loudly. Yuupika blushed minutely as Ryouku chuckled.

"Hungry, are you? I'm sure everything will be out soon." His slanted orbs were teasing, if a bit cold, but she found such a thing was normal when it came to the teen across from her. He was enigmatic – and the negative connotations of that made her shiver.

"I'm sure. What is it that you ordered? I've forgotten."

"Bouillabaisse," He said and his accent was only a little off. Yuu was actually impressed. It was something of a surprise to her when she discovered that French cuisine had become something of an international delicacy. Her recipes were served in higher class restaurants to those who had the money to pay for them since they were rather exotic compared to what the Japanese were used to. "One of my favorite dishes, you know. I usually endeavor to try something new everytime that I come, but tonight is special, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is. Piperade is one of _my_ favorites, though I don't eat it very often. I don't have much time to indulge myself in the way of food these days." Yuu fiddled with a piece of her hair, twirling it around her finger.

"I can imagine," Ryouku's head tilted to the side, angling his face slightly away to make his eyes glitter against the reflection of light on his glass. "You're quite a busy little lady, aren't you?"

Yuupika rolled her eyes, a little smirk painting her lips. "Ha, like you couldn't imagine. Running a business is not all that it's cracked up to be, you know. So many little details that need attending to."

"Oh, I think I understand," The teen purred and they both knew what he was alluding to. Yuu's interest peaked, but she wouldn't ask outright what she wanted to know. _All we can do is dance around each other with pretty words…_

"Your food, my lord, my lady," The waiter had arrived again, bringing with him the dishes that they'd ordered and effectively breaking the silence of the hold they had each other's gazes in. The two leaned back off the table to allow the well-dressed man to set down the plates, the prospect of eating throwing their previous subject of conversation on a back burner.

"Ah~," Ryouku sighed, picking up his utensils. "Lovely,"

"Quite," Yuu took a small bite of her food, humming around her spoon at the exquisite taste.

"Do you like it?"

She nodded her assent, smiling as she chewed and then swallowed. "I'm impressed with the quality. The chef is quite talented. It tastes as though they've been cooking this dish all their life."

Ryouku looked a bit smug, Yuu noticed. "Yes, Guguru-san is incredibly gifted in the culinary arts. I'll give him your compliments."

"Please," She scooped up more of the steaming sauce and part of an egg that was baked inside of it. It was tender enough to fall apart in her mouth as the liquid rolled over her taste buds and Yuu felt the warmth in her belly when she consumed it. "So, what's your family like?"

"Mostly annoying," Ryouku shrugged. "My cousins are all older than me and think they know better than I do."

"Do they?"

He scoffed. "Oh heavens, no. Their ideology, beliefs, and aspirations center around the clan and the village, mostly about how useful they are to it. It's very boring." His eyes rolled. "They've no imagination! My little brother likes to paint, though. He's four and still hasn't decided whether he will walk the path of shinobi."

"Oh? He's the son of the clan head, is that not already decided for him?" Ah, wait, that was kind of a nosy question, wasn't it? She hoped he wasn't offended in any way.

"No. He is second born. He has much more liberties."

"You seem to have a lot of liberties yourself."

"Bah!" Ryouku waved his hand dismissively. "That's only because I take them. Life would be so bland otherwise, you know? So un-fun. Tell me, if I was as society conforming as that Hyūga boy, would you even be talking to me still?"

Yuu's brows raised. "You know a Hyūga?"

"Yes, a child named Hikaru." _You're just a kid too, buddy._ "I heard he took the chunin exams with you, yes?" The teen didn't wait for her to answer. "He and I met at a metal trade conference in the Land of Iron a few years ago. I could barely exchange a few words without yawning."

The girl laughed despite herself, covering her mouth with her knuckles. "Aa…I know what you mean."

"So he's still the same then?" Ryouku chuckled. "It only proves my point. Anywho, my father wanted me to invite you over next week to have dinner with us. What do you say?"

"Sure," Yuu agreed. It would be rude not to. Hopefully, she wouldn't see much of him until then. No matter how good of a conversationalist he was, or how he easily he passed himself off as a decent person, he was still creepy. She could not forget the way he acted towards her just last week.

 _Lifeless eyes._

She resisted the urge to shiver.

"I look forward to it."

* * *

"It's been a while, Yuu-chan." The boss greeted. Yuupika nodded her head, giving a short bow in tandem before settling herself on the floor.

"I've been busy, Homura-sama. Sorry I haven't called on you sooner." He waved off her apology and she took it as a sign to continue. "I'm here for training."

"I understand. Will we pick up where we left off?"

"Yes, that would be good," She assented and the large mammal hummed, readjusting the position of his wings to reach out towards her. His gnarled hand rested atop her head just as she deactivated her senjutsu – she absentmindedly thought that he could crush it like a grape if he wanted to.

"Remember, Yuupika. No one can control nature chakra. You must channel it and temper it with your will. Bend with it and guide it. Now," Homura pushed trace amounts of senchakra into her pathways. "Try to circle that around in your right hand without releasing it."

Yuu took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. This, just this, was the hardest thing she had ever tried to accomplish with chakra. Usually, when attempting something like this, her chakra would obey her after a few tries, but she had been trying for weeks and…nothing. Her usual method of using nature energy was to continually cycle it through herself, never holding onto it for too long and never forcing it to do anything. When performing techniques, she used a small amount of her own chakra to move through her pathways like she wanted, while a large amount of nature's just piggybacked on it and gave it the power it needed to work. She'd never actually tried to contain it and mold it – turning into stone was not on her ever-growing list of things to do.

"Easy now," Homura murmured. Yuupika let out the air she was holding in and let her body relax by degrees. _Right. I'm trying too hard…_ "Good. Don't try to control it. Bend with it." _Bend…how?_ The warm tendril of nature chakra was wiggling around in her chest, trying to settle in her body. _Physically? Or…mentally? Does nature chakra have a will of its own to bend? How would I coax it?_ She fidgeted and the appendage on her head applied a modicum of pressure. "Be still," The boss commanded. "Calm your outer and focus on your inner."

"Right…" Yuu whispered distractedly. _Calm the outer, focus on the inner…the nature chakra in my chest…bend, move, guide, flow…come on…bend, move, guide, flow…_ Yuu evened her breaths, making herself as still and tranquil as possible. The absence of her senjutsu coupled with the absolute lack of movement in the room was strangely not as disorienting or frightening as she thought it would be. It was like closing her eyes for a moment…and focusing…

 _Bend, move, guide, flow. Still. Calm._ The nature chakra was settling in her chest now that she was immersed in her inner self – it began to sink down into her core.

"No," Homura squeezed her head, startling her out of her concentration. "Don't allow it to mingle with your chakra. Its potency will be watered down by your chakra and you will never be able to use our techniques correctly. Again."

Yuupika took another breath from deep in her stomach. "Yes, Homura-sama." _Alright. I can't let it settle. Bend, move, guide, flow. Still. Calm. Float._ The bat urged her through his own presence in her coils to continue and she obediently quieted her body. _In – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Out – 2, 3. In – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Out – 2, 3. Breathe. Steady. Focus. Bend, move, guide, flow. Still. Calm._ There it was again, the funny wiggling in her chest that started to settle. She pictured lifting the nature chakra up in the air current of her breaths, maintaining it inside of her, close to her heartbeat. _Breathe. Steady. Focus. Maintain. Breathe. Steady. Focus. Maintain._

"That's it…" Homura muttered, low so that she would not be broken from her intense focus. "Now bend it with your will. Guide it."

 _Will. Bend it with my will. Bend, move, guide, flow. Still. Calm. Still. Calm. In – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Out – 2, 3. In – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Out – 2, 3. Breathe. Steady. Focus. Bend, move…move…move…move…_ It felt like forever that she spent there, repeating that word like a mantra, trying to will the senchakra to do anything other than wiggle mutedly inside of her. She lost track of time, sitting there, an ever-present pressure on her head and rigid stillness in her body. _Move…move…move…_

"That's enough of that for today," Homura withdrew the raw nature chakra from her and Yuu slowly came back to herself, reluctantly disappointed in her performance. He told her that it was extremely difficult to master this, sometimes taking years, but…she was a genius. Why wasn't she picking up on this faster? Naruto mastered the toad's version of senjutsu in just a measly few months, maybe even less, she couldn't quite remember. She was quickly approaching the one month mark and yet, there was no progress. "Don't be discouraged, Yuu-chan," The elder consoled as she rose to her feet and brushed off her pants. She activated her technique to see him properly, a frown still twisting her lips. "You can't be good at everything. In time, you'll master it. I have full faith in you."

"Thank you, Homura-sama." She sighed. His words, while kind, did not help her one bit. "What's next?"

"Well, the alchemists are eager to try a new poison. There's an escort waiting for you outside, chosen as your main summon. After that, you'll be sent over to the medics for healing and training." Her ears perked up at a number of things in that sentence.

"A main summon has been chosen for me? Also, I will receive medical training?"

Homura chuckled in amusement. "Oh, yes. The bat assigned to you was hand-picked by me, because of how closely your chakra resonate. I think you'll find you have much more in common than it appearances might suggest. On another note, it is required that you learn about the human body before you are able to learn to restore it. If you pour chakra into such a technique without knowledge of where to direct it and what to do with it, it will cause an overgrowth of cells that can be fatal to the patient." _Oh. Cancer? That…makes a lot of sense. Alright. I can learn about medicine. I was never really that interested, but…it's another thing to learn! More knowledge! It'll be a challenge!_

"Well, alright." The girl bowed. "Thanks for your time, Homura-sama."

"Of course."

Yuu turned and walked away from him, the door opening just as she reached it. She was greeted by a bat with a scar down his right eye, the hair on his stomach burned off to show a grizzly scar. He stared at her in silence with a severe expression. _This is my personal summon? How are we alike? I really don't see it…_

"…I am Rei of the Colony." _He doesn't seem very friendly to me._

"Yuupika Uzumaki of Ame. Nice to meet you." She smiled in a pleasant manner.

"Come." He strode away from her abruptly, not acknowledging her and Yuu's smile dropped in disappointment. _He's very prickly. What's his deal?_

"Hey!" The girl exclaimed as she caught up to his brisk pace. "We're partners now, you know. We should get to know each other."

"I already know enough about you." He bit out.

"And what about me? I don't know anything about you. Homura-sama said that every bat has a specialty. What's yours?"

"Assassination and sabotage."

"Okay. How old are you?"

"The colony does not record age."

"Ah. Do you go on missions often?"

"No."

"Right. So, what do you do around here?"

"It's none of your business." Rei snapped. Her eyelid twitched in annoyance. _I haven't done anything to deserve his attitude._ It was like dealing with Kakuzu when he was still an insufferable asshole.

"Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but frankly, you need to put it aside so that we can work together as a cohesi-"

"We're here," Rei interjected, stopping before an entryway to a laboratory. There were several other bats inside, handling vials and flasks of chemicals that Yuu vaguely recognized. The bat beside her stretched out his wings and dissolved into mist.

"Oi!" Yuu reached out to grab at the cloud, but it quickly dissipated as her hand went through it. There was chittering next to her and she faced the bat that had approached in her distraction. "What?" She pressed, failing to keep the irritation from her tone.

"Rei is not like others. This one knows he'll come to respect you though. You are more alike than you think." The mammal said, his snout pulled back in the semblance of a smile. It was more feral appearing than anything.

"Homura-sama said the same thing," Yuu grumbled, crossing her arms petulantly.

"Yes, yes." He flapped a gnarled hand dismissively. "Come now, lay down on that table. This one's name is Jiho. This one's aides are Fubuki, Touma, Mio, and Noritaka. Today, there is a poison that does not react to a summon's chakra system that these ones are eager to try…"

Yuu paled a little at the way they were all ogling at her. _Oh, Kami…_

* * *

The next day, her body was unbelievably sore, just like she expected it to be. The bats had done a magnificent job of patching her up, sure, but she remembered the hell that her body had gone through nevertheless. The poison they had administered was meant to meld her chakra system to her nerves and then extremely overstimulate her nervous system. Cue agonized screaming and terror.

Really, what summons was so cruel to their summoner? By the time they administered the antidote, she was barely even conscious. And then the medics came, fixed her right up, fed her, and afterward went into a lengthy, introductory lecture about all the systems in the human body and what they do. Exhausting. They were lucky Yuu had an exceptional memory because, despite her trembling and general trauma, she was able to keep up.

The only good news from the whole day she spent there is that the poison they used was deemed ready for combat purposes and she could request batches starting today. Unfortunately, she didn't really see a need to use it, as she didn't often get into life or death fights, so it was mostly useless to her. Yuu sighed. _Maybe I can give it to Sasori or something. Or sell it for millions of bucks on the black market. Ugh. Fuck poison._

Her eyes drifted closed again and she unsurprisingly slept most of the day away, awakening at intervals to slurp up some tomato soup Sasori brought her and use the restroom, and then for good when Pain came into her room to talk.

"Are you feeling alright, princess?" He asked, his hand pressed to her forehead to feel her temperature. Yuupika knew she was warmer than normal, considering the strained state of her body, so she shook her head no. Pain hummed with a frown, then commanded, "Kakuzu, clear my schedule for the rest of the day."

"Yes, Leader-sama," Yuu heard from somewhere beyond her range. _He's here to check on me too?_ She shivered at the vibrations of his soundless footsteps while he left. Her father brushed stray strands sticking to her face and kissed above her eyebrow.

"What did you do yesterday, Yuu-chan? Did you eat something that was less than agreeable?" Her father questioned softly.

"Training," The girl elaborated, yawning. She dragged her arms above her head to stretch, an iota of exasperation echoing through her at the general tenseness that still troubled her muscles.

"I see. You shouldn't push yourself so hard," He helped her as she struggled to sit up, his large hand a comforting press on her back. "You have plenty of time to become strong." Pain smiled, a tender thing that brought the youth back to his immortalized face, sunshine running in his hair. "You're already so extraordinary."

"Maybe…" Yuu murmured and she leaned on his arm, her cheek against his shoulder.

"Would you like some fresh air?"

"Mmkay."

Pain stood and disappeared into her personal bathroom, coming back out a moment later with her favorite robe – it was warm, cream-colored, and fuzzy, frayed near the bottom and still reaching just above her ankles when she put it on – because she would grow into it, damn it – and she took it with her everywhere. He sat beside her and wrapped it around her person with care, Yuu doing her best to help, and then he put his arms around her and lifted her light weight easily. She let herself rest against him, not worried that it would bother him, as he carried her through the house and to the back porch. He set her down and then placed himself beside her.

Yuupika yawned again as she observed the blades of grass and spattering of trees that were rarely seen anywhere else in Iwagakure. It was a wonder that they were surviving at all, considering the sun was a deadly laser on the best of days. _It's a miracle that such beauty could thrive in such an unforgiving environment. A few cacti would be better suited to this place. But…they aren't quite as lovely, are they?_ She directed a tendril of nature chakra to pull up a bushel of flowers for her and herd them over with a flick of her finger.

"Tou-san, do you think Kaa-san would have liked to become a florist?" The girl asked.

Pain glanced over in mild surprise. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, she always has a different type of origami flower in her hair, every day. I think she really likes flowers, even though Ame's climate isn't suited to grow most of them. Maybe she would have been a florist if she were born somewhere else." Yuu explained.

Her father considered this for a moment. "Yes…perhaps, she would have."

"I think Kaa-san will like where we're going."

"The new continent?"

"Yeah," Yuupika shivered in the chill of the day and adjusted her robe around her. "It's beautiful. There are lots of exotic flowers, many that don't grow anywhere in the elemental nations. Kaa-san can start a flower shop there when everything settles down."

"Yes, she can." Pain was smiling wider, still close-mouthed and gentle, and the quiet love in his eyes was clear. "She can do whatever she wants to. We will be far away from pain and war."

"Ahh, I can't wait!" Yuupika bounced excitedly and turned to him, even though her body protested. "I want to be there already!"

The man next to her chuckled. "Be patient, princess. You shouldn't be in a rush to pass time."

"Eh? Why?"

"Well, you'll be that much closer to ruling a country, for one," Pain teased mischievously. Yuu blanched and he laughed heartily. She loved the sound of it. _Speaking of countries…_

"Hey Papa, did 'Kuzu-chan tell you about Rivers?"

"Mn…he did," He sighed, his shoulders dropping suddenly. "Yuupika. Are you sure you want to do this?" Pain regarded her with wariness and something that was suspiciously like exhaustion. It was an emotion that she had seen a lot out of him lately and she had the odd urge to giggle knowing that she was a big part of the reason that it was there. It wasn't any kind of physical exhaustion, rather emotion and mental, because she sure was one hell of a kid to keep up with. There were girls her age still playing with dolls and picking flowers.

 _Speaking of…_ She finished the flower crown she was working on with a neat little knot and placed her creation on top of her father's head like it was made of diamonds and jewels. He admired it the same way, though his rinnegan orbs flickered back to her after a few seconds, clearly not ready to let the matter drop.

"Yes, Papa," She told him sagely, sticking her chin up in confidence. There was amusement in his demeanor, despite everything. "I am going to buy the Land of Rivers and we're going to make an amazing profit from it…in time," She tacked on at the end, because, well…the country had a bit of rehabilitating to do before they could see any significant amount of money return to them. And that was just scratching the surface.

Pain sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. The cold wind danced through his spiky hair. "Yes, I suspected as much. Alright, then." His back straightened and he turned serious. "This is a large responsibility to handle. You are already juggling Kusa, not to mention your personal empire." _And so many other things you don't even know about. Thank Kami for an unlimited supply of White Zetsu…and Kakuzu. I've never known anyone who could better manage money and accounts, though I do pity making him so busy all the time. He hardly even bounty hunts anymore!_ She silently lamented for him before her father brought her back down to earth with his next words. "I can hardly keep up with Ame. Your mother is too gracious to help me. It's extraordinary what you do now, but, you know, Yuupika…" He paused, searching for something in her eyes. "You know you will be the people's leader one day – a kage. Please, keep that in mind when you take things on. Please think of our people."

"Always, Papa." Yuupika leaned forward into his shirt, wrapping her arms as far as they would go around him. _I will faithfully attend to all of my duties. Especially when it comes to my family, to you._ "I won't let you down."

He embraced her, pulling her from her seat next to him on the back porch and into his lap. "Oh princess, you could never disappoint me." He whispered above her. The girl inhaled his scent of ink and rain, trying to burn it forever into her mind. She played through distant memories of sweat and murderous smiles and sitting around a table when life was simpler, in her father's lap, but laughing with a man who would never come back to her. "No matter what you choose to do, I will always love you."

 _I'm so sorry you had to die._

That night, she laid in her bed and thought about all the planning she numbly made barely a year ago – setting up white Zetsu as assassins and giving the nobodies they were impersonating a credible history to satisfy deep investigators when they went looking after everything was said and done. She remembered ordering the construction of a pretend base of operations and pretend detailed plans for a small, pretend organization that wanted to see Amegakure topple so they could take it over. It was mainly meant to drive a wedge between the Uchiha and Konoha further and to make them sympathize with her, to make them more seriously consider what she had offered them.

A new home, new people, a new life.

It had worked, of course, black Zetsu had his white Zetsu plants watching everything, all the time, and the tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha had escalated greatly. Danzo wasted no opportunity to spin the blame partially on the Uchiha somehow, since it was one of the police force's only remaining responsibilities to be in charge of security inside of the village – but rumor was going around that they couldn't even be trusted with that anymore, even when it was an important political figure that they had plenty of time to prepare for.

Fugaku, of course, would think that it was a scheme of Danzo's all along, to take out potential threats and to alienate the Uchiha further. He would be rightly frustrated, but still unwilling to shed Konohan blood for his troubles. He would begin to see the merit in her proposal, then, when he thought about her and the Ame party. A new home, new people, a new life. No prejudice, no pressure.

No bloodshed, no war.

It was only a matter of time.

 _I'm so sorry you had to die._

* * *

 _Another bright morning. Too bright._ She felt the sting of sunshine on her eyes, even if they would never be able to see. Her senjutsu activated and the world burst into vibrant hues of green and grey. _What's up with the sun? Jeez…maybe I've been spending too much time in the Underground with the bats._ Yuupika sighed deeply, rubbing the tiredness off her face with balled fists and slowly hoisting herself up in bed. _Ugh…I'm still so sore! I've never strained my chakra coils so hard in my life!_ Yuu bemoaned to herself quietly, a miserable expression painting over her features. _And I have to go back and do it all over again tomorrow…ugh…_

A knock came at her door and Yuu expanded her range to see Kakuzu standing with his arms folded just outside. "Come in!" She called, reaching behind her to untangle the messy braid Pain had made of her hair last night. Her miser immediately opened the door and stepped inside, scrutinizing her briefly before heading into the bathroom.

"Time to get up," He said, already rummaging through her closet. "We're heading to the training grounds today."

"More training?" Yuu probed, but dutifully hopped out of bed and plodded over. "Do you know what I went through with the bats a few days ago? It was a nightmare!"

"Irrelevant." Kakuzu droned, making her puff out her cheeks in a pout. "Come on, now, child, take a quick shower and put these on." He flashed a tank top and knee-length shorts at her, before going to place them on the bed. Yuu agreed easily, not one to turn down the help, and stripped as she adjusted the temperature settings in the shower. As soon as she got it where she wanted it, she stepped under the spray and delighted in the feel of her muscles loosening with the light massage.

"Ahh…" _At least, I can enjoy this before all the hard work. I wonder what we'll be doing today? Working on taijustu? Bojutsu? Ah jeez, when will I find time for my kenjutsu again?_ She worked conditioner through her hair easily, as it was devoid of knots. The way it was nearly brushing the floor was a cause for concern, though… _Maybe I should cut it a bit? I mean…it'd a bit impractical…mn, but Kaa-san would be devasted. I think she would actually cry – and then, I'd feel horrible and regret it. Ah, well. I guess it's something to think about. Or maybe I need a second opinion?_ "'Kuzu-chan!"

The miser turned from where he was folding a pile of clean laundry. _When did he bring that in?_ "What?"

"Should I cut my hair?"

He answered without hesitation, "Yes."

"Oh," She pursed her lips as she spread soap over herself. "How short?"

He placed Obito's oversized shirt down on top of a pile of a few others, the lines clean and crisp. "To your hips."

Yuu felt a seed of despair inside of her. "That short?! But…that's a lot of hair!" She'd grown quite attached to it. As Rosse, her curly hair was always difficult to manage, so she never kept it long. As Yuupika, though, her hair was silky straight and flowing, so she loved to let it grow endlessly.

"Yes. It's also a length that's practical, instead of the mop you have now." He remarked with zero regards to her feelings. Yuu reflexively patted her long tresses in a protective manner.

"…truly?"

"Yes," Kakuzu repeated, casting back an annoyed glance. Yuu sighed glumly. She hadn't wanted to cut her hair THAT much. She was thinking perhaps just up to her knees, like Kushina? _That would be good._ Yuu rinsed herself one last time before turning off the water. She grabbed the towel on the rack next to her as she stepped out of the stall and wrapped it around her body to fend off the chill of the outside air.

"Come here," Kakuzu beckoned with a hand and Yuu approached him quickly. He grabbed her jaw gently and turned her head side to side for a moment, and then propped a hand up under his chin consideringly. "I think it's time we pierce your ears."

The girl immediately beamed. "Really?!"

"Yes," He flicked her nose. "But, not now. Get dressed. Sasori is joining us today."

"Oh?" She prompted as she tossed away her towel and began tugging on her undergarments. Kakuzu grunted in affirmation, picking up a couple stacks of her folded pajamas and under clothes. He strode over to the lone dresser in the corner of the room and opened a few drawers to place the load inside.

"Yes. He is familiar with Juzo's swordsmanship style." Her heart skipped a beat. "He will be a good help."

"So, we're working on kenjutsu today?" She questioned.

Her miser collected the unfolded clothes in his arms. "In a way," He headed for the closet. "We'll be trying something new. Are you ready yet, brat?"

"Yeah," Yuu adjusted her tank top, pulling on it a bit to make the fit more natural and scuffed her shoes against the floor. Kakuzu came back out with her supply belts and weapon pouches slung over his forearm. They both went about securing them on her person methodically. "Is Sasori waiting for us?"

"He's making breakfast," The former taki nin responded as he rose to his full height.

Yuu sniffed the air, trying to catch a wandering scent. "…eggs?"

"And rice," He nodded. They walked out of her room and into the hallway, Yuu skipping slightly ahead in her excitement. A gentle, warm smile was on Kakuzu's face as he watched her.

"Sasori-nii!" Yuu chirped as they entered the kitchen. The man at the stove turned and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Yuu-chan." The puppeteer greeted, leaning down indulgently when she approached him to accept the kiss she planted on his cheek.

"Mwah!" The girl zipped over to the round table behind her to give the same to her favorite snake, whose fond amusement was plain on his face, even as he continued reading one of his journals. "Where's Papa?"

"Your father is in a meeting. He should be back by noon." Orochimaru answered. His teeth slid briefly on his fork as he bit down on a clump of rice soaked in egg yolk. Yuu resisted a shiver at the scraping sound and nodded.

"I suspect earlier," Sasori chimed, a smirk decorating his lips. "He forgot his paper." The girl's senjutsu flitted over the newspaper on the half-moon table by the front door and she giggled, imagining the mildly disgruntled expression Pain would undoubtedly adopt when he realized he was missing it. Sasori padded over with plates for her and Kakuzu as they sat down. She grinned at him in thanks.

"Yuu-chan, what do you make of this?" Orochimaru slid over the hardcover book his attentions were previously on and a long page of neat script and small depictions graced her view. She scanned over the contents – _'initial experiment possessed another odd quality in which I had only recently discovered. Upon arriving back in our mother dimension after our failed attempt, the watch I was wearing had only moved thirty-four minutes. However, the clock in my quarters had moved upwards of an hour. I dismissed it, recorded it in my findings, and put it aside for another day, as more pressing matters were arresting my attention. However, now that I come back to it, this phenomenon is nothing short of exceptionally bizarre. I am unable to put it out of my mind. In accordance to the established laws of physics in this day and age, it is impossible. And yet, the impossible has occurred. I've pondered a few explanations for some time and I have tentatively settled on one – it seems that as the gravity of the explosion pulled us inward, time slowed down._

There was a small picture of the wormhole they had created with curved arrows like an airflow pointing towards it.

 _My first question; why? Was there a chemical reaction we had not accounted for, acting as a catalyst for this? Was there even an unknown variable at all, or was this outcome a result of faulty chemistry? Perhaps Yuupika or I mistakenly supplied too much of one element. The exact reason is unknown._

A quick doodle of polonium-210 and protactinium-231 with question marks surrounding them.

 _My second question; is time travel possible? I have already theorized that gravity can affect the flow of space and time. A similar reaction has been observed in the techniques of the Tendo path of the Leader. If so, how does it relate to our experiments? Can we replicate this phenomenon?_

Another illustration, this one of the elemental nations now with an arrow pointing to a small wormhole, and then another arrow stretching from the wormhole to a map of…what the elemental nations could look like in the future? That's what it seemed like if the date above the thing was an accurate indicator to go by. _One hundred years…that's a very long time…and a very large jump._

Yuu shifted her gaze to Orochimaru, who was waiting for her reaction with interested, slitted orbs. _I should have never put this idea in his head – and yet…_ She licked her lips, "This is…incredible. Do you have this watch with you? Have you checked it for any radiation? Is it still running at normal speed? Also, why do you suspect polonium-210 and protactinium-231? Have you-"

"Eat your food, we're leaving in five minutes," Kakuzu interrupted, staring pointedly at the meal that she had not yet touched. _Party pooper…_ Yuu pouted and Orochimaru huffed, bringing his journal back to himself.

"We'll speak more on this later." The sannin said. He flipped a few pages forward and returned to his reading. The girl sighed lowly before picking up her fork and shoveling a portion of warm, sticky rice into her mouth. While she chewed, she cut the egg into pieces, mixing the white portion in with the rice and then placing the yolk on top before breaking it. The gooey substance saturated the grain in a tasty looking display and Yuu hummed happily. To her right, Sasori was hanging up his apron and brushing off his shirt, hooded orbs searching raptly for any grease stains that might have gotten on it while he was cooking. _He's so cute._

"Let's go," Kakuzu gruffly (and predictably) urged right at the five-minute mark, rising from his seat. Yuupika swallowed down the last of her breakfast, ignoring the uncomfortable stretching of her throat at the larger than normal lump, and rose with him. She kissed Orochimaru on the cheek once more, pleased that he leaned even a centimeter to shorten the distance between her lips and his skin and followed after the two men already opening the front door.

"Why so eager?" She called out against her better judgment, and was immediately scolded by the baleful stare that locked onto her.

 _Today will be interesting if anything._

They walked silently to the training grounds in the calm of the early morning – not that there weren't multitudes of people already up and about, but they generally had enough decency not to be loud and disruptive when all the sane people were still sleeping. Iwa was odd, really, and much like Europe in the summer. It's climate, not so much, but the daylight hours stretched a nearly unbelievable 6:30 am to 10:00 pm, which meant the majority of the population got less than seven hours of sleep regularly, and they appreciated it very much when it did come. There was also the odd parallel of having dinner far later than she was used to, as they indulged in more meals during the day. It was breakfast shortly after sunrise, a second breakfast mid-morning, lunch, some kind of pre-dinner in the mid-afternoon, and then a second dinner in the evening. They ate a whole lot. _Probably why so many civilians are…plump._

Yuupika's hand darted up and caught the leather belt that came flying at her face unexpectedly, disrupting her from her musings after they entered the training ground. She raised an eyebrow, silently prompting someone to explain.

"It's a replacement, Yuu-chan," Sasori spoke, a smile on his face. "The belt that you use for bokken training doesn't have any supply pouches. This one does."

"Oh," She intoned, taking a closer look at it. He wasn't wrong – there were a couple pouches stitched neatly onto it, made of what Yuu would have to guess was full-grain leather, because, well, _only the best for our Yuu-chan!_ As it often was. Still, Yuu very much appreciated this, seeing as it meant that the two before her considered her well off enough with a sword to start including it in her arsenal. She would have gotten another belt herself, but she never knew if she was good enough, given there was no bar to measure herself by anymore ( _don't think about that)._ It was nice that they were acknowledging her skill. "Thank you," She stated sincerely.

"Mn," Kakuzu grunted, his chakra swirling slightly in his cheeks as he averted his eyes and Sasori smirked knowingly at him. _So it was Tou-chan's idea? I'm not surprised._ "Let's begin."

* * *

Ryouku picked her up at eight in the morning. A lot earlier than he had before, but it was understandable if she took into account what they were doing today. "You look lovely, Yuupika-san." He told her, offering his arm.

"Well, I didn't spend like two hours getting ready for nothing." She joked, rolling her eyes.

"Oh?" He smirked and Yuu was surprised by the genuine quality it held. "I'm quite flattered."

"Not for you," She chided, fixing a hold on him. He immediately began to lead them away. "I think I've already made a decent impression on you. I meant, for your family. I'm looking forward to meeting them." Because surely, the rest of his family couldn't be like him. Zetsu had told her that they were quite lively, actually – the heir just happened to be an odd black sheep.

Ryouku hummed, "They're quite eager to meet you as well. I'm afraid my father won't be joining us today, he sends his apologies. He had some meeting with the council about one thing or another, all drab politics, you know."

"I understand." Yuu shivered slightly at the cold breeze and Ryouku glanced over at her. "My father often attends such meetings as well. Politics in other countries are so complicated."

"It is different in your country?" He faced her with more interest now, his dead eyes dancing.

Yuupika hesitated for a moment – _should I really be telling him anything about Ame? I don't trust him at all –_ but smiled to cover it and replied vaguely, "Yes, quite. Our community is unique in all the world."

"I see. How fortunate for you." He turned them down a path that branched away from the downtown area that had found themselves in. "Iwa is more of the same. Just as dull as the rest of the nations."

"Well, at least the weather is nice." The girl chirped, feeling a bit awkward that he could so easily talk bad about his native village. She wouldn't be caught dead saying those kinds of things about Ame, it wasn't even a thought in her mind. She loved her city with all of her heart.

"I suppose," Ryouku drawled with a teasing smile. "Seems a bit chilly for you, though."

Yuu laughed. "Yes, just a bit. Iwa is kind of cold, compared to Ame. My country has mild weather all year round." A comfortable average of 75-76 degrees, the rain making it feel slightly cooler.

"Just a fifteen-degree difference and you're shivering in your sandals."

The girl looked at him and desperately wanted to tell him what it was like to trek through an endless expense of snow with just the thin clothes on your back, to fight your way through a pack of snow leopards and burrow into their carcasses for the night as the temperature dropped dangerously into the negatives. She wanted to tell him about the way she became so attuned to her chakra because she had to circle it through her body every day, making sure no cell was untouched because there was no one to save her from the frostbite. She wanted to tell him how hard it was to catch the creatures that burrowed into the ground, how she dislocated an arm and almost died from a gash on her leg when she charged the cave that a bear and her cubs were hibernating in. She remembered the fits of delirium and the fear of dying alone as her body almost succumbed to infection, how thankful she was for the chakra that helped her get through it. Her scars were nearly faded from her body and the coverings she made of the skin and fur were still lost in the wilderness, but she learned a valuable lesson from it all.

Yuupika told him none of that. She smiled at him and shook her head and ignored his mischievous, prying gaze. Did he want to rile her up? There was no way for him to know about everything she had done to survive, but he wanted to know, and that much was clear. It was really too bad that Yuu didn't want to tell him.

"You're so secretive, Yuupika-san," Ryouku chimed, smiling up at the sky. _I can say the same of you._

"I just don't know you well enough yet, Ryouku-san," The girl deflected, nodding at the vendor that had served her and Kakuzu matcha tea after training a couple days ago. He waved back pleasantly, then turned his attention to the customer who had accosted his counter.

"I hope we will become better friends soon, then." The teen stated beside her, turning her down another road. The number of establishments dropped considerably as statues of rocks lined the path towards a large, gated estate. Her senjutsu expanded over the grounds to see a group of seventeen sprawling, multi-story houses surrounding what looked like a communal building with a sizeable courtyard in the middle. People were rushing around, loud voices drifting over the walls, yelling at each other and laughing. They looked lively.

"Ku-chan! You're back! And with the lovely lady!"

Yuu blinked and narrowed her range to focus on the guards by the gates. The one who had spoken was wiggling his eyebrows comically, a wide grin pulling at his features, and was staring suggestively at the boy beside her.

Wait. Ku-chan? Ryouku…he was addressing Ryouku. As Ku-chan.

"Your mouth always precedes you, Uncle." Ryouku smiled icily, somehow looking as agreeable as ever.

"Ha! Are you trying to antagonize me? I'm unflappable, as always, little nephew." The man declared with a puffing of his chest.

"Unflappable, he says. Yeah, right. What a character." The other guard rolled his eyes, considerably more docile than his comrade.

"Genji!" The first man growled, glaring over. "You're so uncool. Let me have my moment to impress the lady!"

"You'll never be a ladies man. I don't know why you try so hard. It's not in your cards."

"I second that, Uncle."

"Both of you are cruel." The man pouted.

"Can we proceed now?" Ryouku asked.

Genji, the calm man, gave a put-upon sigh. "I guess. I think we've stalled you for long enough." _Oh? Stall us for what?_

The gates opened suddenly and a horde of people waited excitedly on the other side. Yuu's eyes widened. A slightly rounded woman confidently stepped forward, a bowl of potatoes randomly propped on her hip. "Ku-chan has returned with the girl!" She threw her free hand in the air. "OPPA!"

"OPPA!" The rest of the crowd shouted after her, fist pumping.

…

 _What the hell._

"Welcome to our home!" She bowed a bit awkwardly with the load she was carrying but seemed unbothered by it. "Come in, come in! Genji, Reiji, lock up and come inside! Today we celebrate! OPPA!"

"OPPA!" Then, the people scattered, running around again as they had been before. This time, Yuu took stock of the food and the decorations that were flying around between them. _Wasn't this supposed to be a simple luncheon? Why are they all so frantic?_

"Please, auntie, it's too early in the morning to be shouting so obscenely." Ryouku sighed, but his protest seemed more half-hearted than anything that Yuu had ever heard from him. The woman scoffed, waving her hand.

"Oh, please! It's your birthday celebration! We will be as loud as we damn well please!" She turned to Yuupika, smiling beautifully, her chubby cheeks inflating and making her already squinting eyes smaller. "Hello, little girl!" _Little girl?!_ "My name is Auntie Mio! We're glad you could make it!"

"It's Ryouku-san's birthday?" Yuu blurted, dismay dyeing her tone. _Oh god. He didn't tell me. It's such bad etiquette to come to a party like this without a present. And without a proper escort! What will the family think of me?!_

"He didn't tell you?" Mio's surprise was clear on her face, and then she whirled over in irritation to Ryouku, her hand darting out swiftly and pinching his cheek. The teen's whole body twitched. "You little rascal! What did I tell you! What did I specifically say! By Kami!"

"Auntie…" Ryouku voice was low and bland, his smile ever present. The girl wondered if he was embarrassed or angry. _It would be interesting to see both._ "How I wish you wouldn't do that…"

"Someone take this!" Mio yelled, tossing the bowl of potatoes backward. A hand shot up and caught it, the body it was attached to never breaking stride. Mio huffed and let go of Ryouku, then looked back to Yuu. "Come now, Yuupika-chan, you look much too formal. We have to get you all cleaned up!"

"Too formal?" She parroted, glancing downwards at her dress. It was a soft grey, coming down to her knees, with sheer sleeves and a round neckline and few cute buttons just below it. How was it anything near formal? Yuu looked at Mio's attire, noting the loose pants and the loose shirt underneath the worn apron that sported a healthy few stains. _Ah. I think I understand._ "Right."

She let the woman grab her arm and pull her away from Ryouku, whose expression was tinged with displeasure as members of his family converged on him. A few more women appeared by Mio's side, talking fastly amongst each other.

"-recipe book-"

"-Dai-chan's pants-"

"-dancing-"

"-pink flowers-"

"-skinny child-"

"-hear about the ball-"

"-settled, then. Yuupika-chan keep up now." Her arm was tugged the moment she started falling a bit behind to take in the sights around her and all the people moving around the compound. Her eyelid twitched. _Do these people know who I am? What I am capable of? How can they be pulling me around like a child?_

 _Well…I am still technically a child…_

"Yes, Mio-san…"

"Call me Auntie!"

"Yes, Auntie…" After a couple women split off from their group, the girl was brought into one of the buildings surrounding the communal space and ushered her into a spacious closet lined with men's clothes. Yuu eyed it all warily, having a pretty solid idea of where this was leading to and feeling rightfully uncomfortable about it.

"Well, I think this will do nicely." A willowy woman with a pixie cut and dimples declared as she fished out a pair of baggy three-quarters pants.

"No, those orange stripes clash horribly with her eyes, Ami, what are you thinking? I like this one better, purple is flattering." Mio waved around small shorts that Yuu was quite surprised even resided here in whatever boy's closet this was. Iwa didn't strike her as particularly tolerant in the way of…well, anyway. She was silently glad that Ame was so different.

"Nonsense! Purple, black, and yellow? This is a celebration, not some drab luncheon! A powder pink should do just nicely."

"Pink?! You've never had any fashion sense!"

"Says the one who is carrying such an offensive, muddy brown!"

"Oh, please! This is a beautiful earth tone!"

"As if an earth tone could be the color of my-"

"A navy blue would be just fine!" Yuupika yelled over their voices. It was annoying to be fussed over in such a manner – like she didn't dress herself every day. Or. Well. Kakuzu dressed her, but she still had plenty of style!

Both women turned to her, eyes narrowed. "Yes, perhaps with gold patterns as well," Ami muttered.

Mio hummed, "Complementary to that pale skin and dark hair…" The chubby woman clapped. "Very well! It's settled! I think Dai-chan has a cute little set like that from when he was younger…" Ami nodded and walked further into the closet, rifling through a few sections of clothes quickly before plucking out what she was looking for.

"There you go," Ami thrust the articles into her hands and Yuu looked down at a pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt. "Now change, darling, we'll be right outside." They left in a whirlwind of movement, biting out words of argument.

 _Right…_ The kunoichi rolled the soft fabric between her thumbs, testing the threads. There were butterflies sewn into the face of the shirt, dancing lines over the sleeves and on the sides of the shorts. Really, it was cute. Slipping it on, it was a bit looser than she expected but still fit her nicely. It was perfect for casual activities.

"How cute," A voice cooed behind her and Yuu jumped a little as she turned, reigning in her senjutsu so that she wouldn't accidentally destroy the closet. _Do these women not know about privacy?!_

"See, I told you that it would look perfect," Mio boasted, smirking wickedly at the woman beside her.

"Yes, yes," Ami rolled her eyes and beckoned Yuu to keep pace with her as she turned and began heading out. "The party will begin soon, let's go." The kunoichi followed them out of the building, her eyes trailing more now that she wasn't so lost in thought, taking in the decorative clan symbols lining the halls and the murals upon the sides of buildings, appreciating the expressiveness of the compound. _I think I'd like to do something similar in Ame…it's so depressing with so much rain, some color would really light up the city. Maybe we can encourage more ninja to take up hobbies this way?_

The light of day hit her steadily for only a second when they emerged from the building, and then shadows shielded her as they melded into the herd of people. Mio's eyes lit up suddenly while looking across the crowd and she beckoned someone over excitedly. "Oh, Dai-chan! Look at this little munchkin! Isn't she the cutest in your old clothes?" Yuupika's eye widened as they rested on the sight of a tall, handsome man, hip cocked and yukata teasingly opened.

"Hmm, yes," His deep voice drawled as he scanned her indolently. "Yes, she looks just like me when I was her age." And Yuu could see it. He was androgynous in the way Orochimaru was, all beautiful angles and long legs, his swan-neck unblemished and his lips a tempting curve, and _wow, such symmetry-_

"Genji! Did you cut up those apples Hiroshi gave you yesterday?"

Yuu turned away, an embarrassed frown marring her expression when she realized that she'd been staring at the gorgeous man in front of her and hadn't even introduced herself. She felt her age then, as she put her attention on the familiar young man who'd just burst through the crowd and into their little circle of space. _I'm full of bad manners today. My mother taught me better._

"Yes, I already delivered them, auntie." He grumbled, his eyes trained on Dai. The taller man smiled in a way that made Yuupika's eyebrows raise as his lean arm rested over Genji's shoulders.

"And where have you been all morning?" Dai leaned down closer to his ear, lengthy, thick hair falling over a barely clothed shoulder. "You left without saying goodbye, darling."

"Gate duty," Genji said, chakra swirling in his face. His beefier, but shorter stature tilted closer to the body inhabiting his space.

"What a poor excuse…how will you make it up to me?"

"At least _try_ to keep it kid-friendly, Dai-chan." Ami sighed, pinching her nose. Yuu absently suspected that this was probably a common occurrence. "And if you can't, then please go ravish your boyfriend somewhere that is not so public."

The man snickered, picking his head back up to face them. "There will be none of that today, not to worry, cousin. Say, shall we find a table and some wine? I'm parched."

"You drink too much," Genji murmured, still a little flustered. Dai flipped his hair back over his shoulder, seemingly ignoring the statement as his hand slid down to perch on Genji's hip.

"I second that," Ami huffed, her short tresses twitching in the cold wind as she turned, arm hooked through Mio's to lead them towards the sitting area. Yuupika didn't question it, a bit too caught up in the easy way Dai dominated the atmosphere and a bit too hesitant of how her protests would be received. They arranged themselves at the head table like it was second nature.

Mio's sharp eyes slanted over the slowly settling mass, ever watchful. "Oh! Would you look at that – Hotaru-san's come to the party."

Dai's marvelous features screwed up immediately, " _Him?_ Why is _that man_ here?"

"Oh, stop it, you know he's the father of Kei-chan's friend." Ami frowned, a disapproving glance shooting across the space. The subject of their conversation, a balding man with a thick goatee shook hands with a few others on the other side of the courtyard. Yuupika didn't think he looked all that bad – in fact, his smile was rather docile and friendly.

"He's always welcome here," Mio agreed.

"He called me a _freak_ when we first met – and has yet to apologize." _Yikes._ Yuu cringed. _Just as I thought. Iwa citizens are not so tolerant._

"You know, the old priests say that forgiving someone who is not sorry is a mark of true strength." Mio pointed out sagely as Hotaru caught sight of them and began to walk over.

Dai rolled his eyes, his arms and legs crossing defensively. "Not to be dramatic, but I would literally rather die."

Genji sighed beside him, patting his thigh. "Just forget about him. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Tch," Dai scowled, sending daggers with his glare. Yuu observed the bead of sweat on Hotaru's neck as he approached, how his eyes just barely flickered right when he was greeting the table, and then how quickly he excused himself after.

"Maybe he's too intimidated by you to properly apologize?" Yuu suggested, slightly intimidated herself by the aggressive way he snatched a flute of champagne from one of the servers as they passed by with a tray.

"Maybe he is, Dai-chan!" Mio balanced her own drink on her hand and waved over a man carrying a large dish of appetizers. "You should give him a chance."

Yuupika tuned out of the conversation as she caught sight of Ryouku in the midst of his family, his smile pleasant as he spoke to one of the men beside him. There was a chorus of laughs that Yuu could faintly hear above the chatter in the space and a woman behind him ruffled his hair affectionately. His form was loose and relaxed as his hand waved in the air, his body expressive as he talked, as always. _So, he is comfortable with his family._

Her eyes trained on his lips, reading, '-though I tell you every year. It's a ridiculous practice, I think.'

Another man scoffed, 'It's a tradition, Ku-chan, don't be so insipid.'

'How amusing that you still cannot use adjectives in their proper context,' Ryouku hummed.

'Well, I heard that you didn't even tell your lovely date about today's celebration!' The woman behind him exclaimed.

'Yes, it's quite a spectacle when she's flustered.' Yuupika's face heated in embarrassment and a tinge of annoyance.

'You're so cruel, Ku.' One of his younger relatives sighed. 'Aren't you supposed to be winning this girl over? She's some kind of princess, right?' _Of a whole country, yes,_ Yuu felt like sassing.

'I'm not interested in titles like that,' The boy dismissed. _No? Color me surprised. What could you be after, then?_

'Maybe he hasn't an interest in her kind.' A man smirked. 'Perhaps his tastes lie in more similar things…'

'Uncle, I am not gay.' Ryouku sighed, unphased.

'Well, there's nothing wrong with that!' One of his aunts exclaimed brilliantly. She'd been captured by the joke.

Suddenly, sharp orbs flickered over to her and Yuu was caught by surprise as Ryouku held her eyes. A chill went through her, the embarrassed side that told her to blush and look away, but the more prideful Yuu kept herself in his sights. _No, he is under_ my _scrutiny. I hope you know that I will look right through you. One at a time, I will peel back the layers until I can see beneath your skin. I will discover whatever it is you are hiding._

As if he was privy to her thoughts, Ryouku gave her a charming smirk and returned to his conversation. _Soon…_

"Making googly eyes at our Ku-chan, are you?" Yuu startled a bit and this time, her face did flush red as her neck snapped left to the jarring sound of Mio's voice.

"No, that's not-"

"She likes him already, how cute." Dai hummed over his drink.

"A wonder, he sure is an odd one." Genji shook his head.

Ami corrected him with a wave of her hand, "Unique is the word you're looking for!"

"Oh, he's unique, all right…"

Yuupika frowned thoughtfully, glancing back over at the cavalier boy just a few years older than she. What came to mind, his easy stance, his smooth words, his bewitching eyes. _I don't think unique is quite the word…_

"It's time to make announcements," Mio asserted happily. She wiped her drink in her hand as she stood and as if on cue, the rest of the congregation that had not yet seated themselves found a place to rest. The woman cleared her throat. "Welcome everyone! I'm glad you all could make it to this celebration! We're here today to honor our dear Ku-chan in yet another year of life…"

* * *

She leafed through the magazine in her hands with a certain boredom that could only come from not really being able to move her legs. Despite how great of an idea it seemed before, using weights on her legs while training was actually horrible and extremely painful. She had no idea how Gai and Lee could stand to do it every day, for years on end. It made her shiver.

It wasn't even all that late, a measly seven o'clock when she had stumbled back into the house, to the amusement of absolutely everyone except herself, and now nearing ten. The past two hours had been spent rambling over the phone to her mother and listening to her complain about the woes of being a village leader. Yuupika was quite glad that she didn't have to worry about all the intricacies of such a thing yet, and that it would be many years before she took over for her father. After getting off the phone, she had just taken some time to herself to rest and practice a few exercises with her chakra that Homura had suggested. And then she got bored of that, and now, here she was. Reading about some movie star that had died a premature death by an attack while traveling through the Land of Rice.

 _Big surprise there,_ she thought sarcastically. It wasn't a very safe country.

"Gahh!" Yuu cried out, throwing the magazine up in the air. It landed with a thump some few feet away from her, on the floor. "I'm so bored!" She'd already eaten, taken a nice bath, and relaxed for a bit. Despite the sorry state of her legs, she wanted to do something entertaining now. Huffing to herself, she grabbed her pager. "Well, if I'm gonna be miserable, someone should be miserable with me…"

The girl scrolled down on her contact list to a familiar name and pressed the call button. It rang a few times, before, "…hello?"

"Itachi!" She yelled indignantly, probably making his eardrums ache. But, it wasn't anything new. They'd been talking a lot lately, so she felt much more comfortable bothering him. "I'm dying over here!"

Silence for a few moments and a suspicious snicker in the back ground, and then he answered, "Is the land of Earth not to your liking?"

"No, it's fine," She quickly assuaged. "But I tried to use training weights on my legs today and now I can't even move! It was a horrible idea! I'm unbelievably bored and I'm stuck in my room and I don't know what to do, so I called you."

"I see."

"Yeah. So…what's up? What are you doing?"

"I was training with Shisui." Itachi stated and Yuu heard a distant, but enthusiastic 'hi!'.

"Oh," She frowned. "Well, you can finish later. You're talking to me now."

"R-Right." _He's too cute._

"So, ya wanna know something weird? The sun doesn't set until like 10 pm in Iwagakure. That's a good three hours after Konoha. What's up with that?" Yuu conversed, waving her hand in the air idly. "Well, apparently, it has to do with the position of the village in the northern hemisphere of the world and how the north pole is tilted toward the sun in the summer and everything, so they get more daylight than normal, which I think is cool. What about you?"

He started to speak, but she bulldozed on. "But the night is pretty nice too. Did you know, in Snow Country, they have continuous daylight for six months and then continuous darkness for the other six? Could you even imagine! And it's incredibly cold up there, I don't know if I'd be able to survive. Anyway. How's your cute little brother, Sasuke? And how's Shisui? I still think he has the hots for your sensei in the chunin exams-" Squawking in the back ground, which wasn't a surprise because Yuu figured he had his nosy little ear pressed up against Itachi's pager. "-remember when we passed him on the street after picking up Sasuke from the academy and he was all like 'Senpai!' with the most _adoring_ expression. Honestly, nobody will judge him if he admits his sexuality!"

"Now listen, you-" Shisui's voice was much closer this time, right next to the receiver as if he had snatched Itachi's phone from him. "-I'm not gay! Stop putting these ridiculous ideas in his head!"

"Denial is the first stage in the cycle of acceptance, you know~." She sang sweetly.

"That's not-! No! OI! STOP LAUGHING, ITACHI!"

* * *

"…is that what I think it is?"

Ryouku slid the flower into her hair with a smile that was a bit too gleeful. "Perhaps it is, Yuupika-san."

"I'm pretty sure you've broken a few laws just taking that out of the greenhouse." Yuu deadpanned – but still carefully caressed the poisonous plant complementing her outfit because they were frickin' rare.

"Only a few?" The teen huffed. "Must be a Wednesday. Come on, there's this charming little hole in the wall that I just have to show you." He clasped his hand and hers and pulled her along, only giving Yuu enough time to wave at an amused Orochimaru as he was closing the door behind her before the house was out of sight. Iwagakure was quite brilliant that day, if Yuu was honest – it was one of the rare occurrences when clouds were rolling in, a thunderstorm on it's way, and the whole city was painted in dancing rays of light as the sun played between its counterparts in the sky.

"Shouldn't we be staying inside?" The girl asked in a shout, twisting her body to weave between people walking along the path with them. Indignant yells and protests followed them as they zipped off.

"Who cares about a little rain?" Ryouku called back, flashing a strip of neat teeth. Yuupika laughed unexpectedly, adrenaline pumping at the speed they were going. Men in masks and strange, plated armor caught on to their trail quickly enough though, chasing after them with vigor that could only stem from motivation. The teen in front of her glared at their pursuers and increased their pace, the world around them beginning to blur. "How un-fun! We've been discovered!"

"It was you who stole the Oleander! I'm just a victim of your scheming!"

Ryouku smirked at her devilishly, making a wave of uncertainty roll through her body, and tugged her suddenly into his arms. He jumped forcefully, making an unsightly crater in the ground, and backflipped in a high arc as she screamed her surprise in his ear. He wasn't even phased, grinning widely as they cleared the cliff and free fell towards the valley below. The HIGU doubled back to catch up, running along the rocks horizontally to intercept them when they landed – and then Ryouku flexed his chakra and an explosion blossomed underneath his feet, providing the force to vault him back up into the air and onto the next mountain. They landed harshly, another small crater forming, but the boy paid no mind to it and lanced away, laughing as he observed the death grip Yuupika had on his clothes.

" _Are you crazy_!" Yuupika shouted, having half a mind to punch him in the head. They could have fallen to their deaths!

Ryouku hummed and zig-zagged between buildings. "I'd like to think of myself as _enlightened_." He told her after some deliberation, looking much too amused by the whole ordeal. The girl gaped at him, making him laugh again as he dove into a hole in the wall, chakra shimmering to show the genjutsu being pulled up like a shroud around their location. HIGU passed by overhead, jumping along roof tiles noiselessly as the rain began to fall.

"…you're way too good at this," Yuu commented with annoyance. Ryouku only fed into it by smiling at her.

"Well, here we are!" He exclaimed, sweeping his arm out in a grand gesture to showcase the little cove they were nestled in. One of her eyebrows raised disbelievingly.

"You took me all the way out here to literally show me a hole in the wall?"

"No, no!" Ryouku shook his head. "We're here in this district! And look at the establishment across from us."

Yuu skeptically expanded her range to observe the building he was pointing at. _Mina's Art Café._ Her gaze narrowed into focus and she disentangled herself from Ryouku, whose hands still lingered on her waist as he stood behind her. He was close, his lips just above her ear, but Yuupika dismissed it. There wasn't a lot of room where they were anyway.

"What is that?" She asked, her senjutsu mapping the place. It looked like an old house that had been converted, a few walls obviously knocked down to create an open area with vaulted ceilings that acted as the main space to bake and gather in. A renovated bathroom, a dry storage closet, a small office, and a freezer were the only remaining enclosed rooms.

"An art café for disabled veterans. People can come in and admire the work while they drink and have snacks. If they like anything, in particular, they can buy it."

"Let's go," Yuupika voiced and stepped towards it, Ryouku just inches behind. They crossed the narrow street, showered by oddly warm rain, and into the shelter of the veranda. His long arm extended beyond her and pushed the door open.

"Do you like what you see?" His fingers squeezed her where they laid over her pale blue dress. She glanced to the side, taking in his smiling face and letting him urge her through the threshold. "This is what I wanted to show you." The atmosphere inside was cozy and warm. Coffee, sugar, and relaxed conversation sweetened the air.

"…yeah." He looked strangely human then as chakra swirled in his cheeks – not anything like the puppet she thought him to be. _He's human, right?_ The older woman by the bakery display cases greeted him familiarly and he waved. _He's human._

They spent the better part of two hours there, talking with some of the retired shinobi that sat by their artwork, Yuu asking all sorts of questions and probably too-personal inquires about inspiration and technique. Ryouku tailed her like a faithful companion and engaged her on the things she seemed especially interested in, also curbing her curiosity when it became inappropriate. Although she couldn't see colors, she could imagine just fine and quite enjoyed the way the artists went about describing their pieces – it was always illuminating to be able to see the heart behind the masterwork.

"What's that?" Yuu pointed to the kunai in the ground. It was shaped oddly, but most of it was buried, so she couldn't get a clear look at it. The grizzled man in a wheelchair stared at it for a few moments too long to be considered a passing gaze.

"A tri-pronged kunai," He finally said, his voice quiet. Yuupika felt her pulse jump minutely and heat rushed to her grimacing face at the same time Ryouku's hand gripped her in warning. There could only be one thing this painting was referencing. _Too personal._ The man glimpsed her expression and chuckled. "It's fine, it's fine," He iterated, shifting his attention to the form of the man in the picture – the drawing's profile was outlined, like he was looking back at the man who's perspective this was seen from, and even though the rest of him was dark, his eyes shined. _Is it meant to portray killing intent?_ Yuu regarded the veteran in front of her. _This piece…it must have taken a lot of bravery to create. It must have been incredibly humbling._

"He was sad." The man muttered.

The girl swallowed. "What do you mean?" Ryouku's hold on her was on the verge of becoming painful.

"There was no victory in his eyes," His solemn orbs never strayed from the depiction. "Only sorrow. The battlefield was a graveyard and he entered it with great compassion – as if he were attending a funeral."

When she left for home, she was 20,000 ryo short, carrying a new treasure.

* * *

Ryouku's father, Korui Nishiyama, was a man that was surprisingly pleasant when he wasn't worked up about one thing or another. Not pleasant in the way of politeness or upstanding honor, but rather in the way of bluntness and smiles. He was so unlike his son, she sometimes wondered if the boy even came from him at all – but then, she looked at their faces, and there could be no doubt. His father, though not as pleasing to look at, had the same eyes and the same jawline, the same brow that made his gaze more piercing.

"I admit, Iwagakure isn't the best of environments, but it's not as bad as Mist. Nothing is as bad as Mist, they're all savages over there, you know? But you've got to admire their brutality in combat. Anyway, I'd say Iwagakure is probably the third most stable village, economically, that is."

And his manner of speaking was very, very similar.

"The third?" She prompted, adjusting Kei on her lap. The little boy was playing with some wind-powered contraption that made the two figurines on top of it dance around when he blew. "Over Suna?"

He looked at her strangely. "Yes…are you informed on the situation in the Land of Wind? I would think that you are, ame-hime."

Did he mean the assassination of the Kazekage and the abduction of the jinchūriki? In that case, yes. What else was he alluding to? She asked as much.

"…ah." The man shook his head after a moment. "Never mind. I forget that I'm not speaking to a native. My apologies, truly. It's of no consequence." Yuu's eyes narrowed, but she let the topic go, filing away the oddity of his words in her mind to ponder over later. She might have to ask Black Zetsu to investigate.

"Anyway, I'd think Kumo is the most stable at this time, yes? Though they're not as popular as Konoha in the eyes of civilians, they are still known for their considerable military strength. I'd wager that while Konoha receives a higher volume of overall missions, Kumo receives a larger number greater ranking missions – you know, the seedier type. Their shinobi are single-mindedly dedicated to their missions when they take them, and I've been the opposite end of some, so I know." He chuckled. "And they aren't afraid to resort to less honorable tactics either. It makes them more appealing in some ways."

"I see what you mean," Yuu pursed her lips in thought. "I agree. Kumo is probably more economically stable than Konoha at this point, especially after the nine tails attack. Though, in a couple decades or so, I say that Konoha will be back at the top."

"Yes, they will be." Korui sipped his sake and then scratched his scraggly chin. "Iwa really should strive to make a better impression on their clients. We would get much more business than we do now. Of course, we survive, but we could be thriving! Ah, if only I was Tsuchikage."

"Is that your aim?" Yuupika inquired, wiping off a bit of spittle that had somehow landed on her cheek from little Kei's latest attempt to operate his toy.

"Oh, heaven's, no. Like I would sign up for all that paperwork, ha!" He laughed. "Truly, I pity the old man in the seat now. Running a clan is hard enough. So, how has my Ryouku been treating you? He's an odd boy, I know, but I hope he hasn't done anything of poor taste."

"Ah…" Yuu's mind flashed to the first week she was here. He'd been shady as anything, but maybe she'd misjudged him? He'd certainly calmed down in the two weeks following, and had even shown her a softer side… The girl smiled at Korui. No, she wouldn't be marrying Ryouku anytime soon, but she certainly wasn't going to persecute him either. "No, his company has been a pleasure."

"Good, good. I was worried for a moment that…" He trailed off and the smile on his face faded a little, his eyes dulling. It only lasted for an instant, but Yuupika saw it and her senjutsu jumped guardedly before she reined it in. _Worried that what? How was he going to finish that sentence if I had told him the truth?_ "Never mind, Yuupika-chan. You know, you're quite a little joy! Do you get your personality from your mother? She must be lovely. Your father isn't nearly as talkative, why I'd even go as far as to say he's just on the side of stand-offish – see, a few days ago…"

Yuupika tuned him out, her amber orbs glazing over slightly as her mind raced with the implications that this man had made. _What was he going to say?_

* * *

"Say, Sasori, what are you doing?"

He glanced over at her briefly. "I'm trying to cast a genjutsu on Kakuzu."

"It doesn't seem to be working that well."

"…no. By recalling a mask, he's found a way to constantly disrupt his chakra system." He grunted as another one of his puppets was destroyed – to be fair, though, Sasori had destroyed the wind mask, so they were somewhat even.

"Maybe you should try creating a diversion?" She suggested.

"He has his eyes trained on me and my puppets. He knows better than to take them away. it would be useless."

"Well…" Yuu scratched her chin. "What if you blocked his sight? He doesn't have his wind puppet anymore, right? So, use your fire and your water and make steam, he can't blast it away."

"That would block my sight as well. He could very well use a combination jutsu in the mist to destroy my puppets while I cannot see them."

"How about…you take out the third kazekage, track down the earth mask in the confusion and take it out? Kakuzu will surrender if he is down to three masks. He can't risk being too handicapped in a foreign nation, even among powerful allies."

Sasori hummed. "I suppose the idea has merit. Very well." He flipped out a scroll in his back pouch, Kakuzu catching the movement with his keen eyes before two of Sasori's puppets spat out identical streams of fire and water at each other. Not stopping until the mist was thick and stretched the whole battlefield. He pulled his remaining puppets up as the third kazekage emerged and dove into the fray. A few moments later, the sound of ceramic shattering echoed in the air and Sasori smirked.

"Yield," Kakuzu growled reluctantly.

"Good spar," The puppeteer returned and one of his puppets blew out a great gust a wind, clearing the battlefield. Kakuzu's masks were squeezing back into his body while Sasori was herding his puppets closer to himself. Yuu marveled at the way the tendrils of black rustled around inside of Kakuzu's skin, making it stretch and roll like waves in the ocean. _Pretty cool, honestly. But it still baffles me that all of those can fit inside of him…_

"Hm." The miser grunted as he walked over. His attention turned to Yuu and she lifted an eyebrow. "You're with me next time, against Orochimaru."

Her eyes widened. "Oji-maru?! How am I supposed to think up a strategy against him?!"

"That's within your purview, not mine."

"But he's…" She tried to find words for the thoughts racing in her head and the hopelessness in her chest. He was a sannin! And a crazy bastard who probably had studied and learned almost as many techniques as Kakashi! He had a whole bag of shit up his sleeves and Yuupika didn't know the half of it – only that he wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. She sighed. "This is too hard, you know…"

"Learning battle tactics is never easy, Yuu-chan," Sasori chimed as he tucked the last scroll of his arsenal into his supply pouch. The trio started moving towards the exit of the private training grounds. "And learning in the middle of a real battle situation is even harder. But it is the most effective method in the long run. I'm sure you understand why."

 _Ah great, he sounds like Orochimaru. They've been spending too much time together._ "Yeah, I get it," She grumbled, kicking a pebble as she walked by it. Another sigh. "Anyway. I'm hungry. Why don't we go get a snack?"

"A snack?" Sasori repeated and both him and Kakuzu looked at her a bit incredulously, Sasori securing a hand on her back as they stepped out into the mid-afternoon crowd. "Orochimaru is cooking tonight. You know that he dislikes us coming to dinner with anything more than an empty stomach."

"We need to have something! Half of what he makes is no better than poison anyway, and I do not want to go to bed on an upset stomach!" Yuu exclaimed as she veered them slightly off to the side of the street, towards where she knew there would be vendors selling food.

Kakuzu snorted and Sasori shot him a disapproving glance before turning back to her. "Yuupika, please, you _know_ he's still learning. Cooking is not something he naturally excels at." A confusing surprise. He was a master with poisons but he couldn't make heads or tails of a simple Chicken Tikka Masala recipe.

She sighed. "One stick of dango won't hurt, Sasori-nii. Don't you agree, 'Kuzu-chan?"

"I do." Kakuzu grabbed onto the puppeteer's elbow and led him over to a food stand, Yuu dawdling behind them happily.

Sasori ran a hand over his face in resignation, accepting the tray of goodies that was passed off to him as the other man in their party dropped a small sum of ryo on the counter. "We're going to get in trouble with Orochimaru…" He trailed as he munched on his portion.

"He won't know unless you tell him!" Yuu sang.

"On the contrary, you've already been discovered."

The girl jumped, the hairs on her neck standing as she whirled around to face a very displeased looking Orochimaru, holding a brown paper bag of vegetables and a plastic-wrapped package of fish. "Um…" A pale hand shot out faster than she could react and slapped away her dango, only giving her a second to mourn for it before the same hand was twisting her ear. "Ow, ow, owww!"

"Originally, I thought that I would gather the necessary materials for our meal tonight later than I usual so that I could retrieve you from the training grounds and we could walk back together," And here, Yuu could see the slight flush of his cheeks in the way that the chakra in his face swirled. "But once I saw you subtly herding these two towards the food stands, I decided to hang back and see if you truly were going to do what I explicitly told you not to." His lips twisted into a cruel smile. "I thought you knew better by now, Yuupika-chan."

"I'm sorrryyy!" She cried, trying her hardest to dislodge his fingers from her abused appendage. People were looking on in amusement, not even trying to help out. "I won't do it again, I swear!"

"Hmph." The snake huffed and let go of her tender ear. Yuu blinked back tears as she cradled it. "I'm not so sure. No dinner for you three tonight." They all groaned and Sasori shot her an extra dirty glare. Kakuzu was just looking generally displeased. "I'll hear none of your complainings. Let's go."

"Yes, Oji-maru…"

* * *

 _"_ _-and this is a sweet pea. It's one of the most fragrant flowers in the world. Here, smell it."_

 _Her mother tilted the blossom towards her and Rosse leaned closer to inhale the scent. It was strong, even at a distance, and so, so sweet. "I like it," She said, looking back towards the woman in front of her._

 _"_ _Me too. It was your father's favorite."_

 _"_ _Dad had a favorite flower?" Her eyebrows raised in her surprise._

 _Her mother chuckled, her head tilting just enough to allow the sunlight to stream underneath the brim of her wide hat and paint her olive skin. "Is that so hard to believe, little Ro?"_

 _"_ _Frankly, yes," Rosse admitted. Her mother just smiled, angling her hand to weave between stems and pull out a weed that had barely begun to sprout. The teen followed her lead, her mind drifting in the silence. Her father was a military man, very serious and dedicated to his work as an engineer. He stayed up long nights even when he was on leave and supposed to be resting, searching for answers, studying his colleagues' reports and their experiments, desperately reaching for something…something that would end the wars… She remembered wandering into his study at night when she couldn't sleep and sitting on his lap as he poured over equations that she did not yet understand, mumbling things that she could not comprehend._

 _It was hard to imagine the same man knowing the name of a flower that wasn't a common rose, let alone having a large enough knowledge base to pick and choose which was his favorite._

 _"_ _Your grandmother was a florist when she was younger."_

 _Rosse perked up at the information. "Really?"_

 _"_ _Really. I grew up living in the loft above her shop. It's how I met your dad. I was still in high school, but he was in college and he often visited the coffee shop next to us to study. He always looked like a mess." Her eyes glazed over in memory. "He bumped into your grandmother one day while he was rushing out, late for something or other, and spilled his coffee all over her blouse and her phone. And, since he was broke and couldn't pay her back with money, she made him work off what he owed. Surprisingly, he found that he quite liked gardening. Even when his debt was paid, he kept coming back to spend time in the shop and help out when he could."_

 _"_ _That's such a cheesy story, mom. Hallmark channel worthy." Rosse blurted, not the slight bit embarrassed. As expected, her mother laughed and elbowed her shoulder, making the teen lose balance and fall over into the grass. She poked her tongue out childishly, splaying out her growing limbs into a more comfortable position._

 _"_ _You should be glad it's a story at all! You wouldn't exist if it never happened! Now get up and help me."_

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah…"_

" **Sister,** "

Yuupika blinked back into reality, glancing to the side to see the creature that had pulled her from her silent reverie. There was a spark of irritation in her chest at his interruption of her long-ago memories, but she let it fade – she really shouldn't be thinking of the past when there were so many things to think of in the future. "Yes?"

" **I've news of the two matters you asked me to investigate.** " He croaked. Yuu shifted up on an elbow to face him fully, her hair sliding against her skin with a hiss.

"And?" She quirked an eyebrow in interest. "Tell me of the most recent, first."

" **Very well,** " Black Zetsu obliged. " **The Nishiyama heir's network centers around the trafficking of stolen weapons and illegal drugs to gangs and bandit parties to the south of Iwa and into Fang Country and the western part of Claw Country. It is slowly expanding towards Ame. He also sends periodic care packages of food rations, money, and clothes. He has employed a considerable number of whore houses, gambling establishments, inns, bars, and two bounty outposts, some of which Ame is tied with, to feed him information and aid him in expanding. It appears he is gearing to branch out towards Wind Country, Mountain Country, and Rain Country.** "

"How are we connected with such establishments?" Yuupika asked, expression severe. Pain didn't allow outside connections. Those in their country stayed in their country. Outsiders were not welcome. White Zetsu disguised as workers toted merchandise to the border, where they were then processed and transferred along secure lines to their destinations. All necessities such as food and clothing were cultivated inside of Ame. Their nation was self-sufficient and very secure. So, Yuu was quite curious as to how they had outside connections.

" **Ame's shinobi frequent certain places they have deemed relatively safe and reliable while out on missions, thus cementing a connection.** "

"I see…" She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, disliking the information she was processing. "Dismantle Ryouku's network."

Black Zetsu shifted in his kneeling position to be closer to the bed, head tilting to the side. " **Would it not be wiser to infiltrate it and use it to our own advantage?** "

"No," Yuu frowned. "It's too dangerous. It has already come too close to our borders. I will not take any risks with the safety of my country and the well being of her people. His baby network must be made an example of. I do not want to encourage more experienced shinobi to try and copy him and potentially infiltrate us." The girl straightened herself so that she was sitting properly, swamped in Obito's shirt, and crossed her legs. "Stage it as a rebellion. We may have to sacrifice a few White Zetsu, but I don't want this linked back to us in any way. At most, there can only be speculation about how Ame will retaliate should any ill-meaning party come close to our borders."

" **Understood.** " The creature nodded once.

"Alright," Yuupika sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Her emotions had run a little high at the thought, at the _anger,_ that Ryouku would be so daring as to attempt challenging Ame. He couldn't have known what would have waited for him and his little band of peasants, but that fact is what made it all the more audacious.

She did not like audacious.

"What about the...-" She let out a breath silently through her nose to calm the little seed of anxiety inside of her. _Don't let it get to you._ "-second matter."

Black Zetsu stiffened, something Yuupika was not accustomed to him doing and her senjutsu immediately boiled underneath her skin, waiting to be called on and used savagely. She reined it back with the force of her willpower, knowing that the creature was only acting naturally. He had been upset when he had learned that Yuu had almost been…

" **I have traced your assailant's origins back to the eastern border of Lightning Country. He seems to have stayed in a port town for several years as a blacksmith before mobilizing three days before you arrived in Kusa.** " He rattled off.

"A sleeper agent, then?" Yuupika's frown deepened, creating lines on her face that made her appear years older than she really was. How long had someone been plotting against her? She didn't like the uneasiness that such a thought left her with. "What else did you find out?"

" **Nothing further.** " Black Zetsu growled, his smooth hands clenching in his lap. " **He covered his tracks well. He prepared a false backstory, with evidence of its genuineness strategically placed in a number of towns in the surrounding countries. Until the moment he revealed himself and attacked you, he was no one. We would never have known about him, considering how divided our attention is between our other projects."**

That…scared Yuupika more than she wanted to admit. She made a fist of the bunched up fabric around her hips. The assassin that had attacked her…he could be one of many. And she would never know it. She would never know where they would be coming from. It was unacceptable. "Produce more White Zetsu and plant them around the country. I want more coverage, more information, more leads. This can't happen again." If her voice was a bit shaky, Black Zetsu did not see fit to comment.

" **Yes, sister.** "

* * *

 _I'll be gone soon enough._

Yuupika spun her bo briefly, blocking invisible projectiles, before shifting it into one hand and surging forward to go in for a hard, chakra-enhanced hit on the shoulder of her non-existent adversary. She pretended he was dazed, his reflexes hampered for a moment, and she drew her sword where it rested at her hip with her free, wind-laced hand, arcing it horizontally to slash across her opponent's throat.

All was silent.

And then she eased back into standing position, sheathing her blade and holding her bo like a pole at her side. _I hope I never cross a samurai in combat. I dread to see how they would react to my butchering such a sacred technique as Iaidō._ Yuu sighed, finally allowing her shoulders to slouch and her body to relax.

 _I should get back soon, it's late._ The girl looked up into the void sky, imagining stars of her old world superimposed over the blackness. There was a strange longing in her chest – a familiar loneliness.

 _Where are you now?_

She looked away abruptly, mentally turning her back on those emotions. _No use in thinking about it._ The better part of the week, four days, had been spent blissfully alone and Yuu wondered why Ryouku had suddenly halted his advances. _Perhaps he's figured out that I've no interest in him and has given up? Doesn't really seem like his style, but… Ah, well. It doesn't matter._ _I'll be gone soon anyway._ Her amber orbs gazed north, picturing Kumo in the far distance, and then east, where she knew Uzushio to be. _I'll leave this place behind, onto the next. I've got things to do. Time is constantly moving forward._

The girl trudged tiredly off the field, this one much closer than any of the others she had been using, intent on returning home for a good soak and then a few hours of reviewing documents and reports and drafting plans. Not exactly the most fun way to spend a night, but she had duties to attend to and a whole country to figure out what to do with, whether she liked it or not. Yuupika sighed, running a hand over her face as weariness befell her.

 _The Land of Rivers, huh… textile and pottery businesses are what they're known for. What can I do with that? How can I optimize it? Should I provide them with better materials? Of course, I have to import enough food to sustain them, they're probably starving – and riddled with disease. So, food, technology, medicine, to start. Our medicine here in Ame isn't exactly amazing though. It certainly isn't on par with the Leaf's…but, I suppose I can order Zetsu to help me change that. It would cost us nothing to snoop around Konoha and get access to valuable techniques and such. Yes, that sounds good. Alright, so, I need to provide access to better materials and tech at a temporary discount for Rivers to help them get back on their feet financially. I need a group of Zetsu to learn medical ninjutsu and provide free vaccinations, and build hospitals at strategic points around the country where they can manage them. Should provide me with some interesting information, if anything. The country is pretty poor, so I'm guessing I'll need to spruce up a number of cities like I did in Ame, and-_

"Fancy seeing you here, Yuupika-san."

The kunoichi tensed as she was caught off-guard, but reined in her disintegrating chakra that had instinctively rushed to protect her, and focused on the boy who had appeared. _Fuck. Was I so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice him? What could this be about? It's really not the time._ "Ryouku-san. Is there something you need?"

He smiled at her kindly. "Would you take a walk with me?"

Yuu sighed, not in the mood to be particularly civil. "Can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm very tired."

Ryouku's smile widened. "I'm afraid not. I've got something to show you, you see, and I thought it the perfect night to do so, with the full moon and all." Her ears perked up.

"Oh, is it now?" She murmured to herself, then louder, "I'm really very tired. I'll have to decline." Yuu pivoted to tread on, but the teen slid into her path, blocking her.

"Oh, come on, Yuupika-san. Please? I promise you won't regret it."

"No," She faced away, but he was in front of her again with barely a second, this time, much closer. Annoyance flared under her skin, no doubt showing in her features, as well as wariness that she masterfully hid. This pleading act, it was uncharacteristic of him.

"Please?" He tilted his head to the side like he was a dog, leaned forward so his face was the largest thing in her vision. Yuupike stewed quietly for a moment. _He won't let this go, will he? What's his rush anyway…_

"Alright," She acquiesced, frowning at the way he subtly preened in victory before offering his arm. She twined her own with it. "But this has to be quick, okay? I'm very busy."

Ryouku nodded and steered them forward, "Not to worry, Princess. I'll have you back before you know it."

Yuu mumbled unintelligibly. _He better be telling the truth. I'll turn him to dust._ She blinked as she reviewed that last statement. _Ah…no, I can't do that. I mean. Papa would probably be okay with it and then we would book it out of here, but…then Iwa might start a war with us or something? Definitely wouldn't be conducive for world peace. So, no. No disintegrating. Sigh._ Her brow furrowed suddenly as she realized where the winding path they were heading down was leading.

"Um…" Yuu twisted to stare at him and her pace slowed, making him hang back and look at her. "Why are we going to the Akasen?" _I can't imagine there's anything of note down there to see. I mean, I've mapped the whole place already, I know there isn't anything. What's he playing at?_

"We're not, Ame-hime, don't worry!" He exclaimed with quiet enthusiasm, patting her hand. "Just somewhere nearby…" They came to the base of the mountain that they had traveled down and he felt along the rock searchingly before releasing a faint, _'ah!'_. His chakra flexed in a strange sequence and a pattern of seals emerged before a portion of the dirt broke off from the rest and rolled away to reveal a passage.

"Where is this?" Yuu peered into the hollow of the space curiously. Her senjutsu sharpened to take in absolutely everything around her.

"It's a less traveled path to where we're going." He said. _Uh-uh. Through there? That's sketchy as hell, he expects me to believe such a thing?_ Yuu glared at him disbelievingly and he chuckled. "It's all right, Yuupika-san, you've nothing to fear from me. I can walk in front if you'd like?" _Oh, that would be preferable. Still doesn't change how weird this whole thing is._

"I don't like this," She crossed her arms petulantly.

"Please," He beseeched, rounding his gleaming eyes to give an unsettlingly effective puppy dog look. _What's his deal?_ Yuu rolled her shoulders and looked away to hide a blush that he no doubt saw anyway. "It won't take long. Will you trust me?"

 _Well…what if this is just some confession? Like Itachi and Neji gave when they got me alone?_ She licked dry lips. _Ah jeez, no matter how weird he is, I'll feel bad if I give him a hard time…ugh! Fine!_ _Whatever._ "Alright, alright," Yuu huffed and strode forward, allowing his hand on the small of her back. She was getting used to his touchy nature, unfortunately.

"Thank you," He replied. _It's really suspicious and all, but…_ Reluctantly, she stepped through the threshold and into the darkness _. Ugh, let's just get this over with. I'm tired, I want to get back._ The girl waited while Ryouku made a seal of concentration, and with a rush of his chakra, the rock stuttered back into place. The seals lit up again to make it as if it never moved. Yuu spread her range out to the end of the tunnel just to be sure he wasn't leading her to imminent death and was relieved when she saw only empty space.

"Let's go," He whispered behind her, moving past her to take the lead. Yuu followed him closely, taking in his relaxed stance, the scroll on his hip, his loose fitting clothes. _He's dressed comfortably, not at all like he was last time we came down here, what with his stiffy clan robes._ "Sorry about the smell," He said amicably, waving his hand. Yuu tracked it for a moment as it fell back down to his side, idly sniffing the air. _He does that so much. So very expressive with his body._

"It's no trouble," The girl told him truthfully. She had slept in the carcasses of a snow leopard, multiple times before without showering afterward. She'd slept in her own filth, for days. She'd slathered herself in wet mud and waste to disguise her scent and kept it on herself for weeks. Those stenches had burned like acid in her nostrils. This mildly damp smell, while her overly sensitive nose was acutely aware of it, was nothing at all.

"Wonderful, then." Ryouku glanced back at her, his eyes crinkled in that way that was so reminiscent of one copy ninja, and Yuupika wondered how he could see so well in the darkness. Her technique sharpened on him, and she identified the continuous swirl of chakra in his eyes. _Ah._

It took them a few more minutes of traversing the incline in strange silence before they happened upon the end, where Ryouku used the same method to open up an exit and guided her outside. The cold night air blew over her form, making her shiver involuntarily while she overlooked the plateau that he had brought her to. There was nothing in front of them, not for miles. _So, this is outside the city then? An escape passage…I wonder what he could need this for, what he would be doing out here…is this why Zetsu could never find him? He wasn't even in the city?_

"You're looking the wrong way," The boy called behind her, a note of humor in his tone. Yuupika regarded his pleasant expression ( _it's fake, so plastic)_ and then she turned and spread her range the way they came.

She sucked in a breath. _Oh…_

"Isn't it exquisite?" Ryouku was smiling as he looked out on Iwagakure, the lights shining brightly, even from this distance.

"Aa. It's quite a sight." Yuu agreed, mapping the enormous city. It was nearly double Konoha's size, which was really saying something – though, that was mostly due to where and how it was built. It was so spaced out, not at all like the tightly-knit places and close quarters that she was used to. She'd miss it when she was gone.

"It's alive."

 _Alive with nightlife? I suppose so. Cities like these, hidden villages, they never really sleep._ "Yeah."

Ryouku laughed lightly and turned to her. "No, no… _it's alive._ "

Yuupika smiled confusedly, turning to him as well. "Sorry?"

"This land, the whole thing, it's alive. I feel it. _You_ feel it."

Yuu knew exactly what he was talking about, that unnerving lure of Earth, but still… _this is getting a little odd._ "I'm not sure what you mean…"

"It calls to you, no? I know you feel it." Ryouku drew closer to her, showing off the whole six inches that his height topped hers, making her heart irrationally skip a beat. "I can show you what it is. I can take you there."

"What are you talking about?" She demanded, taking a step back from his imposing form. Why was he so close? He was making her uncomfortable. Flashbacks of Akihiko were filtering through her mind. _Creepy…_ He wasn't deterred any, he kept coming forward and back into her personal space.

"Earth is a living mountain, you know?" He reached forward, making her stiffen as he tucked her hair behind her ear. She wanted to grab his wrist and snap it. His voice was close, his breath was on her cheeks. "I know you feel the beat of its heart, you are…connected." Ryouku smiled gently. "Have you never been curious?" He asked as he flexed his chakra in a different sequence than before and the ground before them trembled and parted to reveal a long line of stairs.

Yuupika stared in shock and took a sharp breath as the undeniable influence she had felt for the duration of the trip blew over her in full force, almost overwhelming her. "I'll show you what's underneath the underneath."

 _What…_

"Earth is a living mountain."

He took her hand and led her down.


	30. Bonus 4: Kakuzu's Interlude

A/N: Hey.

This is a short I've had sitting around for a while. Enjoy.

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Entry #392

 _Would you accept my worn out love?_

 _wavering on the wayside of the river_

 _that flows with passion and depth_

 _And I frighten everyone I see_

* * *

She…irritated him. That was really the best way he could describe it. Probably the only way, he'd never really been good with his emotions. That was just a fact of life, it wasn't ever going to change.

Kakuzu's whole life had been a study in humiliation, anger, and pain. He grew up an orphan, under the watch of strict teachers who took notice of his quick learning and his strong body.

He was beaten and spit on because of it.

Clarification: they trained him, worked him, and pushed him so hard that he broke. Several times. The first was when he was nine years old and he had been training for four long, hard years already. He had three teachers that gave him generous amounts of attention that he hated down to the marrow of his bones. _Spars,_ they called them. _Beatings,_ they were. Usually, it only lasted a couple hours, but this time the sun was setting and they were still kicking his ribs and punching his head. Kakuzu was crying out in pain even though he swore he never would, his voice was hoarse, he was sobbing and begging for them to stop. Groveling, he prostrated himself before them when they stopped to take a breath, he felt the damp dirt on his forehead.

They grabbed him by his hair. _Get up_ , they said. He faced heavenward. They unzipped their pants. And while he had been expecting another assault, the kind that he knew the older boys sometimes suffered and had resigned himself to a while ago, instead, he felt warm liquid splash on right underneath his eye, down his face, down his neck. He felt warm liquid aimed right at the hole in his ear, making him twitch. More in his hair, trailing the back of his neck.

They were urinating on him.

He was boneless from training, he could not even move a muscle. He was flushed with shame. _Worthless_ , they called him. They laughed. _Waste of time._ He had heard that every day. Every single day. But, when it mattered most, when he needed to be a man and defend his honor, he could do nothing.

He broke.

Everything became a blur. The whole next year was one long blur. When he came back to himself, his muscles were more defined, he had grown taller, his hair was longer. He realized that his body remembered how to fight more savagely than it had before he broke and that, for the life of him, he couldn't remember how it got that way. He felt awkward in his skin, jittery. Unsettled. What had happened to him?

The second time he broke, it was under a new sensei. The first three had gone off and died in battle. For all their abuse, they taught him well. They taught him how to hit hard and how to take a hit that was even harder and _get up. Keep going._ But his new sensei didn't care much about those things. He was an older teen, nineteen to Kakuzu's thirteen. His philosophy was that to be a good warrior, you had to be fluid like water and strike like a whip of steel. He danced around him every training session, his advice and corrections like a steady stream from his mouth and would often only need one blow to completely end the fight – a strike to the chest, two fingers to his back, a jab in the neck, it didn't matter, it always rendered him unable to continue. His sensei knew a lot about the weaknesses of the human body.

But.

One day, the teen had gotten him on his stomach, body pressed over him to hold him down, twisting his arm in just the right was to nearly break one of his ribs. Kakuzu could barely breathe. His sensei exhaled shakily on his exposed nape. _Good job today,_ he told him. Kakuzu was tired of hearing his empty reassurances and had only grunted, expecting the hold to lighten and allow him to stand. It didn't. His sensei was still panting on his neck. There was a sharp gasp, low and guttural after a solid minute and then something warm landed on his back, just below the line of his hair. His sensei had always commented on how much he liked the boy's hair. The air was salty. Kakuzu blinked.

They didn't talk about it.

But it happened again, a few weeks later. And then again. And again. And again. These occurrences (Kakuzu never asked, he always washed his shirts with bleach) were becoming more common, they were happening much more often. But this was the price of learning to become strong, that much he had already understood from a young age, and he was an older boy now, so there was no way to avoid it – no matter how much he hated it. He kept his mouth shut.

All up until the day his sensei tried to pull down his pants. _No,_ Kakuzu had protested without thinking, alarm doubling the pace of his heart. His sensei didn't say anything back, he kept pulling the fabric. Kakuzu struggled, and when he tried to verbally express his discomfort again, the sensei that had always been calm and collected and relatively tame, slammed the boy's head down onto the ground so hard that he saw blackness cloud his vision. There was a pressure on his neck and suddenly he couldn't move his body. His pants came ever down.

He was still sore the next morning.

His sensei smiled like nothing ever happened.

It happened four more times before Kakuzu lied still on the ground of his own volition and waited until his sensei worked himself into a haze before turning and stabbing him through the throat with the small shiv he had hidden in his mouth that morning. Kakuzu's rage was palpable and justified. He felt disgusting inside, he detested what he saw in the mirror. _Sensei's fault._ Wide eyes and hot blood on his arm were the last things he remembered for a few years.

He resurfaced as the best fighter in Takigakure.

The final time was when he returned from his failed assassination attempt on the shodaime hokage. _Go home, son,_ the man had whispered, his body strong, but his eyes sympathetic and tired. He held Kakuzu up by the neck. Kakuzu listened.

Taki jailed him. There was no trial or mission report, the news had preceded him.

The cell was dark, cold, damp like the country had always been and he spent so many years alone with no light, two meals a day, with no interaction with anyone whatsoever, that he lost it. He had taken to exercise and math with the absence of his chakra, counting, solving complicated equations in his head while he worked his muscles endlessly, but even the sure methodology couldn't save him from the vice of insanity.

This time, when he resurfaced, he was fleeing at the highest speeds he'd ever traveled, Takigakure's most prized kinjutsu gripped in his hand. The practice of the prison never left him. He took up bounty hunting and banking to ground himself in the first years of freedom and Kakuzu just never found it in himself to stop since. He had accepted and embraced his loneliness with open arms and guarded it jealously. _Trust nobody. Worthless. They will all stab you in the back._

That was, until he met _her._

Yuupika irritated him.

Kakuzu would not let her die.

She stood now, in front of him, toeing the dirt in the Land of Earth with the stupidest look of awe and wonder that he had ever seen, and Kakuzu had to work to repress a sigh. _Idiot child_. "Come," He meant for his voice to be harder than that, but it could never come out harsh when he spoke to her. He laid his hand on her back, applying just enough pressure to spur her into movement. She looked up at him with sparkling, curious eyes.

"What?" _She really is stupid._

"Is this the first time you've touched dirt, brat? Let's get back to the house." He chastised her, and he could see the realization dawn on her face before she laughed sheepishly.

"Right. Sorry." She readjusted the grip on her bo and walked forward, posture still aristocratic even after an intense session like that. He felt the bloom of pride in his chest seeing her developing muscles, deepening his breaths. She had asked to pick up her training again, much more fervently this time. Originally, he thought she would just keep up with it until her childish proclamation of being a bounty hunter was forgotten about, but now somehow, he felt like she actually meant to improve. She meant to reach beyond what she thought what she was capable of, and now to what he knew she could be. He had high hopes for her, even if he didn't know what exactly brought about this startling change.

Kakuzu grunted belatedly in acknowledgment and turned his face to the road ahead. There was an outcropping of stone that glowed in the light of the sun, easily mistaken for gold, which outlined the path back to the village. He resisted the urge to pick Yuu up and carry her when he saw her shiver in the wind. Earth was a place of cold heat if that was even possible. They were like Kumo, closer to the heavens than they should be, but without all of the clouds and moisture that came along with it. It was all thin air, cool breezes, and direct sun, and many of the natives were born and grew with intense tans. Not as dark as Kumo natives, of course, but it was easy to see the mark of the sky on them.

There were scarcely any trees and the grass was dry from the lack of rain, but Iwa had massive wells in which they kept themselves hydrated by, from the river current that ran deep and wide underneath them. There was a secret here that Kakuzu was wary of. The land itself, it was almost sentient from all the chakra that had been poured into it over the ages. It was hiding something.

Kakuzu did not like the Land of Earth.

Yuupika and he made it back to their residence with little spoken between them and he quickly ushered her inside before she could take notice of the eyes on her back. He closed the door behind them, but not before the miser's chakra roiled dangerously and he glared at the position of the boy in the trees. Said boy didn't flinch and didn't look away. Kakuzu didn't like him. He was creepy, his burnt-red eyes, like some poor mockery of the sharingan, were vile. His gaze on Yuupika was something that Kakuzu did not like – it held hidden agendas.

It was up to him to calculate again, to make use of his knowledge to protect Yuupika from that boy, however he could without getting directly involved and causing a political incident…right after he took care of a few more pressing matters.

"Orochimaru." Kakuzu snarled, arms crossed and foot tapping a tempo dangerously fast on the floor.

The snake raised a delicate brow as he looked up from whatever scroll he was reading. "Oho? To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" It was that arrogant attitude, the miser decided. That's what upset him. He always played his pomposity up when he knew Kakuzu was irritated about something because the bastard was amused by his behavior.

"Don't be stupid." That word was always a bit of a trigger for the other man, and since fire fights fire, Kakuzu was not afraid to use it. Immediately, he saw a hint of annoyance flash in those painted eyes. "You know what I'm here about."

"…if you are referring to the sizable deduction of money in Akatsuki's accounts." _Bingo._ Kakuzu narrowed his gaze, though Orochimaru didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he stared out of the window that looked out on the mountains and had the _nerve_ to _stick his nose in the air_. "Then, just know it was for a good cause."

"You have the most furnished lab in all the nations!" Kakuzu bellowed, his temper blowing unusually quick. He was fucking tired of hearing that excuse _over_ and _over_. The man had no right to keep buying things, _unauthorized_ , for his insane experiments! "What more could you _possibly_ need?"

Orochimaru huffed. "I suppose I cannot expect someone like you to understand. A scientist's work requires the absolute newest and best quality tools for the best possible conditions, to ensure the best possible results."

Kakuzu didn't even have words to say. He didn't open his mouth for fear that only rage-induced babbles would emerge, he just silently seethed and tried to mentally drill holes in the side of the sannin's head. There were times when this man was bearable, times when Kakuzu even considered him good company – this was not one of those. Right now, he was just insufferable.

Orochimaru glanced back over and a little smirk decorated his thin lips. The miser just knew he was about to say something slick, he just knew– "Cat caught your tongue?"

-because Orochimaru would not be Orochimaru if he didn't. Kakuzu ran a hand down his face and settled for slamming the folder he had been holding down onto the table. He wasn't in the mood to argue any longer. "A-Rank bounty outside the city. Bring me his head and I will _consider_ not informing Leader-sama of this incident."

Orochimaru read the information inside of it quickly, then burned it in his palm, still sporting that irritating smirk. "Of course." He knew that Kakuzu wouldn't inform Pain anyway because they had been going back and forth like this for two years and the man still did not know anything. Orochimaru would be back with the bounty by the next day and all would be settled until he inevitably bought something ridiculously expensive again without Kakuzu's permission.

 _I hate this man._ The thought didn't hold much weight.


End file.
